Bring Back What Once Was Mine
by Brightfire15
Summary: AU XMFC. Female Magneto. Erika Lensherr's been pursuing her tormentor, Sebastian Shaw for the past six years to reclaim what he stole from her. She soon allies herself with Charles Xavier, a powerful telepath who sees in her what she does not. As battle approaches, lines will be drawn and secrets revealed. Will Erika learn to love or will she be consumed by her anger and pain? R&R!
1. Pain and Anger

Bring Back What Once Was Mine

Disclaimer: I don't own _X-Men_

Pain and Anger

**January, 1944. **

**Poland, Germany**

The weather was cold, dark and rainy as fourteen-year-old Erika Lensherr, a young German Jewish girl, walked alongside her mother and many of her people through the muddy paths and into what would most certainly be their doom—concentration camps. World War Two had taken its toll on her homeland. Resources and lives were lost, there was little food, and to make things worse, Adolf Hitler, a Nazi, had risen to power and assumed control, destroying the peaceful and happy life that Erika and her family had once known.

Erika's father, Jakob Lensherr, had been a highly decorated war veteran of World War One, and deeply loyal to his country and family. He and his family had done nothing wrong, but in Hitler's mind, that didn't matter. They were Jews, they were different. And those like them had to be punished and exterminated. The Lensherrs had been hunted down, just like the rest of the Jews. They had fled their home, and just when they thought they were safe, they were betrayed to the Nazis. It had resulted in the death of Erika's beloved father and her cherished little sister, Ruth, and the current situation of Erika and her mother.

Erika tried to quell the fear she felt inside of her as she gazed upon her fellow prisoners. They were working and fulfilling terrible tasks. They wore the same style of clothing, right down to the dark thread. Their hair was all cut quite short, they were skinnier than Erika and her mother, a series of numbers were tattooed their left arms, and there was nothing but a dull pain in their eyes, as if they had given up completely or were in agony.

Unable to bear the sight of it any longer, Erika turned her head away from the terrible things and looked at her mother. "I'm scared, Mama," she whispered.

Her mother, Anya Lensherr, took Erika's hand and gave her a soft smile. "Don't be frightened, _kleine_. All will be well soon enough. Keep faith."

Erika just nodded as she bit her lip and tried to stay calm. Perhaps her mother was right. Perhaps she just needed to keep faith and all would be well soon enough, just as she said.

Or not.

As soon as Erika and Anya reached the gates, Erika was pried away from her mother. She was placed on the other side, just as Anya was taken away, along with many others. But to where they were being taken, Erika knew not. She only knew that she was losing the only family she had left in the world. Anya kept crying out for Erika and trying to reach her, but to no avail, as the soldiers were stronger than her.

"Mama!" cried Erika, unable to restrain her tears. "No! Mama!" She could not, no; she _would not _lose the only family she had left.

Without thinking, Erika ran for the gate. She tried to reach it, as she thrust out her hand, only to be held back by the soldiers. The more she fought to get free, the more pain and anger she felt, and then a strange new feeling overcame her. Power surged through her and then suddenly, the metal gate that was keeping her from her mother, started to bend.

Erika managed to get through the soldiers, and she was nearly there, but she was then suddenly kept down by three or four of them and then she was knocked out from a blow to the head by another soldier's gun.

XXX

Within moments, Erika soon awoke and found herself in a bunker.

It was cold, dimly lit and filthy. Rows upon rows of bunk beds were everywhere. They were all the same—narrow and uncomfortable. There were many other girls in the bunker with her of various ages, but they were all in the same state of being. They were either ill or hurt and they were all marked. And worse still, there was no sign of Erika's mother.

_Mama, where are you? _

Erika barely had a moment to take in recent events before the soldiers came for her and after she was cleaned up, tattooed and given a clean set of clothes, she was taken to the head of the camp. He was a thin man in a dark suit, light brown hair with a thick mustache, grey eyes, and glasses, and apparently he had very fine and expensive taste, judging by the state of his quarters.

He was sitting at his desk and he gave Erika a small smile when she came in, but it was the kind of smile that made you feel ill and scared inside. Erika immediately both feared and disliked him, though she showed neither expression on her face.

"_Guten tag,_ young lady," he said. He beckoned to the only other chair in the room. "Do sit down."

Erika knew better than to disobey, so she did as he asked. She sat down in the seat across from his wooden desk. Remembering her manners, she smoothed out her faded grey and black skirt and sat as ladylike as she could.

"Good afternoon. I am Dr. Klaus Schmidt. What is your name, _fraulein_?"

"Erika Lensherr, Herr Doctor," said Erika, slowly, keeping her eyes on her hands in her lap and not upon him.

"A pretty name for a pretty young lady," said Schmidt, in a tone that sent a shiver down her spine.

Erika said nothing, but finally looked up at him when he asked her to.

"Understand this, Erika, these Nazis, I'm not like them," said Schmidt, as he started opening a bar of chocolate. "I believe that genes are the keys to the future, yes, but the Nazi's goals are pathetic. I mean, really, blond hair and blue eyes? Pathetic" He ate a piece of the chocolate bar, before pushing it towards her. "Would you care for some chocolate, Miss Erika? It's quite good."

Erika shook her head. She couldn't eat. She felt completely and utterly sick to her stomach as she was desperately worrying for and missing her mother. Perhaps, if her mother was still alive, she could persuade him to let Erika see her?

"_Nein, danke, _Herr Doctor," she said, softly. "Please, I just want to see my mother, Anya Lensherr. Please, sir."

Schmidt just took the chocolate bar away and licked his fingers before placing a coin on the desk. "As I said before, genes are the key that unlock the door to a new age, Miss Erika. A new future for mankind. Evolution. Do you know what I'm talking about?" When she shook her head, he continued. "It's a simple thing I ask of you. A little coin is nothing compared to a big metal gate, is it?"

Erika swallowed painfully, trying to ignore the fear she felt. She wasn't entirely surprised he was asking this of her, but she didn't even know how she'd done what she had to the gate. How could she do it again? But she had to try and so she did. She reached out and tried to move the coin the same way she'd bent the metal gate, but her efforts were fruitless. The coin remained where it was on the desk, much to Erika's dismay and Schmidt's disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Herr Doctor," she said, hanging her head. "I tried. It's impossible. I-I don't…I can't…" her voice wandered off. Perhaps she was mistaken in thinking she had any power. Perhaps the incident with the gate had been something else entirely.

But Schmidt seemed to take an entirely different approach on Erika's inability to replicate her previous actions.

"The one thing I can say for the Nazis is that their methods produce results," he said. "I'm sorry, Erika." He then rang a bell, causing her head to jerk up and then her mother was dragged in by two of the soldiers. Her mother was still alive!

"Mama!" cried Erika.

Her heart was pounding with relief and joy as she leapt out of her chair and ran into her mother's arms. The two women were crying as they held each other close, but then Erika was pried away from Anya once again. Anya was held by the two soldiers while Erika stood by Schmidt's desk.

"Here's what we're going to do," said Schmidt, as he pulled a gun out of his desk drawer. "I'm going to count to three, and you're going to move the coin. If you don't move the coin, I'll pull the trigger on your mother, understand?"

Erika felt scared once again as she shared a quick glance with her mother before she tried to move the coin and Schmidt started counting. She had to make the coin move, for her mother's life, she had to! But the coin would not move.

"One…"

"Mama, I love you," said Erika, as she looked at her mother once again. "I'm trying."

But there was no fear on Anya's face, only faith and love, just like always. "I love you too," she said. "You can do it."

Erika kept trying and trying. She concentrated as hard as she could, but for all her trouble, she couldn't make the coin move.

"Two…"

Anya was released by the soldiers, who stepped back. "Everything will be all right," she said. "Keep faith, my darling."

Erika's eyes filled with tears, as she tried yet again, but to no avail. The coin remained on the desk.

"Three," said Schmidt. Then his gun went off and there was a thud.

Without even turning around, Erika knew her mother was dead. Schmidt had killed her, because she could not move the coin. Grief overwhelmed her, but even stronger than her grief, was her anger. Fury and rage for those who had taken away her life and loved ones, threatened to consume her as she felt a strong surge of power.

Without thinking twice, Erika started screaming and lashing out. Everything that was metal that she sensed or saw, obeyed her will. The bell on Shaw's desk flattened, the metal chest of files twisted like dough, the metal tools and tables in Schmidt's medical lab either flew around the room or became nothing. A metal bar even flew from the lab and whacked Schmidt hard on the head, but Erika took no notice of this.

Instead, being weary from lack of sleep and food, and being overwhelmed with anger and grief for her mother's death, Erika collapsed to her knees before crying into her mother's body, which she clutched to her chest, unable to let her mother go.

"I failed you, Mama, forgive me," she sobbed. If she had just been stronger, her mother would still be alive. It was all her fault. Or, no, it wasn't. It was Schmidt's fault. He'd done this. He was to blame for the unnecessary tragedy. He and the rest of _his _kind had done this because of her weakness.

Erika looked up when Schmidt placed a hand on her shoulder. Surprisingly, he bore no mark from the blow Erika had dealt him. In fact, he looked quite pleased at Erika's accomplishments, which made her hatred for him increase.

"Because of your outstanding work, I'll allow your mother to have a decent burial," he said, as he placed the accursed coin in her hand. "Now I know how to unlock your gift—anger and pain." He smiled. "I've a little secret to share with you, Erika. I am like you. I have a gift. Just imagine what we'll achieve with our abilities combined."

Erika said nothing as she turned away from him, trying not to think of what he meant and instead, imagining herself free of Schmidt and being somewhere safe. The next few months would be eventful, but no less difficult, of that much she was certain. She would be become more powerful and one day, she'd be the strongest there ever was. At that moment, she felt more afraid and angry than ever.


	2. Enemies and Allies

Enemies and Allies

**Geneva, Switzerland, 1962. **

**Eighteen years later**

Erika found herself alone in a hotel room in Geneva, Switzerland, silently crying as she thought back to the dark time of the Holocaust so long ago as she made the blasted coin float around in between the fingers of her left hand. It was the same coin that Schmidt had asked her to move. Why she'd kept the coin after so many years, she herself didn't know anymore. But she did intend to rid herself of it eventually. How she intended to be rid of it, only she knew, and she intended it to be poetic justice when she caught up with the heartless monster responsible for her pain and nightmares.

In the past eighteen years, much had occurred for her. Financially, she was doing well for herself, far better than she had once done as a child. She had grown a great deal, both mentally and physically. She was tall and slender with jet-black hair, a heart-shaped face, blue-grey eyes and fine features. Her innocence was gone, but the pain and anger was still there. At her age, she'd endured far more than anyone should've had to—from being a lab rat, to have everything and everyone she ever loved taken from her, being rejected, and being denied what she so desperately sought.

Four and a half months after being imprisoned, American soldiers had liberated her and her people from the camps. One of the soldiers, a fierce and yet caring Canadian volunteer, had taken an interest in Erika and her condition, and made sure she and a fellow prisoner, her childhood sweetheart Mikael, were taken to a new home where they could be safe. Erika had never forgotten that soldier's kindness and she vowed to one day repay him.

Revenge against Schmidt had been denied to Erika, as he'd escaped before the authorities could catch him, but she forced herself to accept it after her gaining her freedom as she had more pressing matters to deal with and part of her had wanted to leave her terrible past behind. The concentration camps and her pain had almost become a distant memory, but then a devastating event caused by her tormentor six years previously had forced Erika to resume her quest. Her earlier efforts to find Schmidt had fruitless, but she'd been getting closer of late. He was near, she could feel it.

Feeling the need to hit something, Erika flung the coin into her sketch of Schmidt's face before getting dressed and prepared for the day. She had an appointment with the bank.

Erika's powers had grown considerably over the past several years. The enemies she had made in her pursuit of Schmidt called her "The Mistress of Magnetism." She'd gained quite the reputation for being terrifying, strong, determined and relentless.

After pinning her dark hair back and dressing in a fine grey suit, hat and overcoat, she picked up her leather briefcase, put the coin into her pocket, and walked down to the bank and then headed to the front desk.

"_Excusez-moi,_" she said, to the receptionist. "I have a nine o'clock appointment with the president of the bank, _si vous plait_. The name is Mle. E. Lensherr."

"One moment, please," said the receptionist. She pressed one of the buttons on the intercom on the desk. "Monsieur President, your nine o'clock appointment is here."

"_Send her in_," said a male voice.

Erika then entered the office and was greeted by an older, balding, well-dressed man, who shook her hand.

"_Bonjour_, Mademoiselle Lensherr, it is a pleasure to meet you," he said. "Please, have a seat."

"_Merci, _Monsieur. The pleasure is all mine," said Erika, lying through her teeth as she sat down. It was not a pleasure at all. She knew quite well that this man was one of Schmidt's associates, and he knew of the man's location. But the bank president did not recognize her and why would he? She had been one of countless Jews in that miserable camp and she'd been kept mainly locked up in Schmidt's building where few saw her. She smiled pleasantly. "Please, just call me Erika."

"As you wish," he said, as he sat down. "Now, over the phone, you said you had something quite important you wish to place in my bank?"

"I do, indeed," said Erika. She placed her briefcase on the desk and pulled put the bar of gold it contained. The bar of gold was marked with a German Nazi signature.

The bank president's eyes widened at the sight of it. "I presume that you know possession of that gold is illegal, mademoiselle? I should inform the police."

Erika gave a mock sigh. "Oh, please, let's not play this game." He could not fool her. He was a pitiful actor and she wasn't in the mood for games of any kind.

"Where did you get it?" he demanded.

"A friend," she said, coolly. "He recommended your bank most highly." It was true enough. A man she'd interrogated several weeks prior had told her of the bank president who had the information she sought. He'd had the gold in his possession and Erika had taken it, feeling it to be rightfully hers and she needed it to get into the bank.

"I see," said the bank president, slowly. "Do you know our terms, Miss Erika?"

"_Oui_," she said, as she picked up and examine one of the many trinkets on the man's desk before putting it back down. "And you should know mine, sir. This gold is what remains of my people. It was melted from their possessions and taken from their teeth, this is blood money. And you're going to help me find one of the monsters responsible for it."

The man looked considerably frightened now. He tried to reach for the alarm button under his desk, but he wasn't stealthy enough. Erika spotted him and reacted immediately. She reached out with her power and grabbed his metal watch around his wrist, preventing him from pressing the button and making him hit himself in the head. Erika tsk-tsked and shook her head at him, as one would to a naughty child.

"I wouldn't touch that alarm, if I were you," she said. She got up from her chair and sat on his desk and grasped the scruff of his shirt. "So, now that I have your full attention, perhaps you'll do yourself a favor and tell me what I want to know. I'm looking for Schmidt, Doctor Klaus Schmidt. He would've had two children with him, a light-haired boy and a dark-haired girl, both about eighteen years old. Where are they?"

The bank president still looked terrified, but that didn't prevent him from lying. He started to stammer out, "Our-our clients don't p-provide addresses. We're not—"

"Not that sort of bank?" she interrupted, angrily, as she placed a tight grip on his throat before grabbing other pieces of metal in the room and binding him to the chair. She then held up two fingers and forced the man's mouth open, smirking slightly as he looked horrified at her. "Ah, metal fillings, not gold. Worried someone might steal them?" she growled, as she started to yank it out.

"Florida!" he cried, as he winced in pain. "Monsieur Schmidt is in Florida! He's on his ship, _Caspartina_ in Miami, Florida!"

Although she was glad the cowardly fool had started talking, Erika continued her interrogation. "And what about the two young children?" she demanded. "What has he done with them? Are they unharmed?"

"They're with him, I promise you! I don't know what he's done to them, but they're unharmed, I swear!" he said, pleadingly. "Please, let me go!"

Quite pleased with her results, Erika released the man and didn't take out the metal filling in his mouth. Instead, she said, "Thank-you," and then she packed up the bar of gold. "Consider this an act of mercy, which is more than you and your kind ever showed me and my people, Monsieur. However, I swear that if Klaus Schmidt or anyone associated with him, gets wind of my coming, I'll know it was you and then you'll share Schmidt's fate."

"Mademoiselle," said the bank president, looking very frightened as he took deep breaths. "What in heaven's name are you?"

"I am what you perceive me to be. My enemies say I am the Mistress of Magnetism, but one has said that I'm Frankenstein's monster and I'm looking for my creator," she said, coldly, as she started to leave the room. "That is what I am, Monsieur. _Au revoir_."

She waved at him mockingly and then left the bank.

After packing her belongings, checking out of her hotel, Erika booked a flight to Florida and then boarded the plane. She spoke to no one on the flight and instead, just focused on what lay ahead of her. After eighteen years, she was finally going to take back what once was hers.

_I'm going to find you, Schmidt. And when I do, I'm going to take back what you took from me and make you pay dearly for what you did_, she vowed. Her mother's death would be avenged and she would finally take back what Schmidt had taken from her. One way or another, he would pay.

XXX

It was quite late when Erika arrived at her intended destination.

After her plane had landed, she rented a car and drove to where she needed to go. She parked her car half a mile away from the ship to keep hidden from prying eyes before she changed into a wetsuit and then snuck away into the darkness. Before long, she arrived at the water's edge, and then she dove underneath. Before long, she rose up from the water where Schmidt's ship, _Caspartina, _was docked. It was easy to board Schmidt's ship. She didn't quite know what to expect, but she was armed and prepared for what was about to happen. Or, so she thought.

When she was onboard, she walked to where she heard voices. She looked as cool and confident as she felt, not like the young terrified girl from eighteen years ago.

Schmidt hadn't changed, however, aside from him having neither a moustache nor glasses any longer. He was with two others, a man with long dark hair and a beautiful blond-haired woman. Erika knew these were his associates, Emma Frost a.k.a. the White Queen of the Hellfire Club and Janos Quested, a.k.a. Riptide. All three of them were mutants, just like her. But unlike her, they were well-dressed and seemed to be quite smug. No doubt whatever they were up to, they were succeeding.

"Good evening, Herr Doctor," said Erika, catching their attention after unsheathing her dagger.

The three of them immediately rose up. Schmidt's associates prepared to attack, but they were still again when Schmidt held up his hands. He gazed upon Erika in amazement and awe.

"Little Erika Lensherr," said Schmidt. "I see the past eighteen years have been quite good to you. You look so beautiful. Have you come to join me at last?"

"You can dispense with the pleasantries, Schmidt," she spat. "We both know this isn't a social visit and nor I do want any part of whatever it is you're up to." She had no doubt he was planning something, but she neither knew what exactly it was and nor did she care. Men like him never changed and were always heartless scoundrels.

Frost narrowed her eyes at Erika, causing a slight pain in Erika's head. "She's here for Enchantress and Whizzer and she intends to kill you if you don't return them." Frost then turned her head and glared at Schmidt. "You never said that those two were—"

"Finish that sentence and I'll end him right now," interrupted Erika, bristling with anger. She knew exactly what Frost was going to say, and if Erika had her way, those poisonous words would not be spoken by Schmidt or anyone associate with him. "You had no right to take them, Schmidt. Where are they? I want them back and I'm not leaving without them."

Schmidt smiled and it wasn't the good kind of smile. "Of course. If they wish to go, I'll allow it," he said. He turned to his other goon. "Riptide, go fetch Enchantress and Whizzer, would you?"

Janos did as Schmidt asked. He disappeared below deck while Erika remained where she was, not taking her eyes off Schmidt or Frost as she kept a firm grip on her blade. When Janos returned, Erika was horrified by what she saw.

The two children were anything but. They had grown. That was only to be expected, it had been six years after all, but that wasn't what troubled Erika. They both wore expensive, designer clothing, almost like uniforms. The boy wore a stunning white suit with a black lightning bolt on the chest and the girl was in a beautiful black dress with her hair pinned back. And the both of them had strange plastic devices on their temples and the same cold expressions.

Erika sheathed her weapon and ran over to them. "What have you done to them?" she demanded, looking distraught. They were both cold and wore hard expressions on their faces. They didn't show the slightest response when she touched their faces. In fact they were almost like automatons.

"I did nothing but help them reach their potential and added a little behavioral modification," said Schmidt, smugly. "I did what you never had the courage to. The devices keep their abilities in control and the little gadgets are immune to your powers."

"Get those devices off them, _now!_" demanded Erika, angrily. If those devices were harmful in any way, shape or form, nothing would stop her from unleashing her rage on them all. She knew Schmidt was ruthless, but to do this? Oh, he'd just earned a special place in perdition for what he'd done.

"Relax, Erika, they're perfectly harmless," said Schmidt, calmly. "They're easy to remove if one knows how. You don't need my help. In fact, why don't I just send the three of you off right now so you can get to it, if you want it so badly?" He placed his hands on the children's shoulders and then murmured into their ears, "Enchantress, Whizzer, you may go with your mother if you so desire."

They both nodded as Erika fought not to lose control over her abilities with her anger.

"You're scum, Schmidt," growled Erika. "You'll pay for what you've done, I swear." Her revenge would have to wait. For now, she had more pressing matters to attend to. She had to get those devices off them and help them in any way she possibly could. She turned to the two teens. "My dears, come with me. We must leave now."

She grabbed their hands, only to be startled when the two teens yanked their hands away and were now glaring at her.

"You clearly didn't hear him. Shaw said we could go with you if we wanted to," growled the boy, as he delivered a punch to Erika's jaw so quickly, she didn't have time to blink. She landed painfully on the ship floor and had just barely risen when she was attacked yet again.

"And we _don't_ want to leave with _you_," snarled the girl. Bright red power surged in her hands, and then she blasted Erika off the ship and into the water.

Erika emerged from the water, gasping for breath, just as the Coast Guard arrived. The authorities' boats were knocked down by Schmidt—or Shaw's—associate, Riptide, who apparently had the ability to generate tornados.

_Don't think I'm letting you go that easily, _she mentally growled. The ship itself had little to no metal, but she could still inflict her wrath. She struggled to stay afloat as she grabbed the heavy metal ship's anchor. With a surge of anger, she made the anchor—chain and all—plunge deep into the ship before she wrapped the anchor around the ship until the chain broke, leaving the ship nothing but a floating piece of wreckage.

Her tormentor apparently had a backup plan, as a submarine emerged underneath the rubble of the ship and began to speed away. Quickly, Erika grabbed it, but she wasn't strong it enough to keep it in place, only to attach herself to it. She allowed herself to be dragged by it, ignoring the cries of a man from the Coast Guard cruise liner, who was begging her to let go. She certainly would _not _let go, not when she was so close to her goal.

Moments later, she was under the water, unable to breathe, but not caring. She had to finish what she set out to do. She was too darn close to give up now. Suddenly, she found herself losing her concentration as she felt a man grab her shoulders from behind and then a presence and a voice spoke softly in her mind.

_You can't do this, _he said. _You'll drown. You have to let go. I know what this means to you, but you're going to die. Please, Erika, calm your mind. Let go._

Before Erika knew it, she'd lost her grip on the submarine and it zoomed away within moments. She'd lost the battle and the man from behind, had taken her up to the surface, where fresh oxygen worked its way into her lungs.

Instead of feeling gratitude to the man for saving her life, Erika felt angry as she yanked herself free of his grip. She'd been so close to success, and then it'd all been snatched from her yet again. How dare this stranger stop her? What right had he to interfere? Who was he to decide what she could or could not do?

"Get your hands off of me!" she yelled, before slapping him. The man looked no older than her. He was British judging by his accent, well-off from his clothes, and he was also quite handsome with his dark hair, blue eyes, and boyish features

"Calm down! Just breathe!" said the man, as he signaled for them to be picked up. "It's okay!"

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"My name is Charles Xavier," he said.

"You're like that scoundrel's associate, aren't you? You're a telepath!" she said, accusingly. She was amazed by Charles's gift. She'd met very few like her and even fewer who had identical abilities. However, she was also quite angered by Charles's telepathy as she despised having people poke around in her mind. Frost's intrusion into her mind had been bad enough. But this? "You were in my head. How much did you see?"

"I only saw a little, but it was enough," said Charles, smiling. "And I may be a telepath, but I'm on your side, not his. You're not alone. Just calm your mind. I'm a friend, Erika, I promise you." He held out his hand to her.

For some reason, despite her anger towards him, Erika decided she trusted Charles. "Okay," she said. She took his hand and allowed him to help her until a young man who looked anything but human—he had blue skin, yellow eyes, pointed ears and a tail—suddenly teleported into the water and teleported them onto the Coast Guard's ship, where they were met by a blond woman and two CIA agents.

"Charles, what just happened? Who's your friend here?" asked the blond-haired girl.

"Raven, this is Erika Lensherr," said Charles. "Erika, this is my sister, Raven." He pointed to the blue-skinned teleporter. "And you've just met my nephew."

The blue-skinned man held out his three-fingered hand to her. "_Guten tag,_" he said. "_Ich heisse _Kurt Wagner."

Erika smiled, in spite of herself as she shook his hand. She hadn't been among her fellow Germans in so long. "_Danke, _Kurt."

Kurt smiled back.

"And these are CIA Agents Burt and Moira MacTaggert," said Charles, beckoning to the other two.

"You're the one who attacked Sebastian Shaw's ship?" asked Moira, looking amazed.

Erika rolled her eyes. _You certainly have a talent for stating the obvious, I must say_. She folded her arms across her chest. "Obviously, yes," she said, testily. She noticed they'd called him Shaw and not Schmidt. The latter was probably just one of his many aliases. Typical. "So, what business could the CIA possibly have with the Black King of the Hellfire Club? I highly doubt you're here to capture him for a post-war trial." The fact that she knew that would've surprised some, but the truth was, there was little Erika didn't know about her old tormentor or his associates.

"You'd be correct. We're not here for that. We actually believe that he and the Hellfire Club are working with the Russians and are Communists and there's something afoot," said Burt. He narrowed his eyes at her. "What's your business with him?"

"That business is none of your business," growled Erika, as she tried to maintain control over her temper. When Burt and Moira opened their mouths to protest, she added, "And don't tell me that just because you're with the government that I can trust you. I learned to stop trusting the government and humans a long time ago. So, give me one good reason why on earth I should trust _your_ kind or tell you anything."

Erika rarely, if ever, trusted humans, and she certainly didn't trust government after the war. She had half a mind to take off after sabotaging their boat so she could continue her pursuit of Shaw.

"I think we both know that's impossible. So, don't trust them. Trust me because I won't hurt you or lie to you," said Charles, coming in between her and the others, just as Burt looked outraged and opened his mouth to speak. "Trust me, Erika. We want Shaw just as badly as you do, I promise. Just talk to us, please. Don't leave."

Erika hesitated, but then she could feel Charles's genuine compassion and she knew at once he was telling the truth. She sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you what I know if you tell me what you know and I have a say in how he's taken down and nothing I say goes beyond us without my consent. Those are my terms, take them or leave them." It might just work. How did that old saying go? "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." In this case, it was true.

"Deal," said Moira, before anyone could speak. "Why don't we get you a change of clothes and then we'll talk below deck over dinner, privately?"

Erika just nodded before following Charles's sister, who took her to one of the room on the ship where she was dried off and given a fresh change of clothes. Afterwards, she followed Raven down below deck, where she seated beside Charles and was given food and drink. No one spoke during dinner and there was a semi-comfortable silence until the dishes were cleared away and Agent Burt broke the silence between them.

"So, Miss Lensherr," said Burt. "Why're you after Shaw? How do you know him?"

When Erika didn't reply at first, Charles reached out to her. He leaned forward and took her hand.

"You can speak freely, Erika. I promise you, one will come after you, hurt you or judge you," said Charles, quietly. He then whispered, "I promise you, no one will reveal anything you don't wish them to. I'll make sure of that."

Feeling relieved somewhat by Charles's promise, Erika lifted up her left sleeve and held out her arm, revealing the numbers she'd been tattooed with—214782. Even after nearly two decades, the mark still looked as new as ever. "This is how I know him. He was in charge of my camp in 1944." Everyone except for Charles looked horrified, as he already seen part of this in Erika's mind, no doubt.

"You were part of the Jewish Holocaust," whispered Moira.

Erika nodded. "My father, Jakob Lensherr, was a highly decorated war veteran of World War One. When war broke out again near our home, we fled, only to have our location betrayed. My father and sister were killed while my mother and I were sent to the camps. My powers manifested when they tried to separate me from my mother. At that point, I was taken up to _his _office. I knew him by his alias of Klaus Schmidt, and not by his real name of Sebastian Shaw. I was only there for four and a half months before American soldiers liberated me and my people, but it was long enough for _him_ to destroy my life as I knew it.

"My ability to create magnetic fields and control metal is fueled by my emotions, more specifically, anger and pain. Shaw found out what the trigger was when he murdered my mother in front of me. He became obsessed with me and my powers after that. The things he did to me and my people are unspeakable. He's similar to Hitler, only he has power and he wants to conquer the world. He's a mutant can absorb any kind of energy and use it to keep him young and redirect it in any way that he wants. You could probably set off a missile with him in the room and he'd still be alive. I presume you already know about his associates."

"Good heavens," murmured Charles.

"Are you only after him because of what he did to your mother?" asked Burt, hesitantly.

_If only things were that simple. But things never are_. Erika shook her head. She wanted revenge for her mother's death, yes, but there was so much more to it than that. "No." She didn't want to tell them more, but she realized that she had to. No one would want a vengeful war survivor interfering with their work. She had a stronger reason for wanting Shaw dead. "Shaw kidnapped my children, Wanda and Pietro, from me six years ago. I want them back. That's why I'm after him. I intended to get them back this evening; however, I didn't plan on what he'd done to them."

"What has he done to them?" asked Raven, as she tightly held her son, Kurt's hand.

"He's controlling them with some kind of devices that my powers are useless against." Erika's expression and tone became cold as she intended to make one thing perfectly clear to them. "I don't know what they are or how to get rid of those blasted devices. All I do know is that my children are innocent in all of this and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get them back." _Even go up again the likes of you and Shaw alone. _

Erika seemed to have made an impression them all, because not one of them appeared to want to argue with her or go against her wishes.

"I'm sorry for your losses," said Burt, looking sympathetic. "So, your children, Wanda and Pietro, are they like you? Are they mutants?"

Erika just nodded, not wishing to reveal anymore than she already had. She'd already revealed far too much and heaven alone knew just how much Charles knew about her past.

"All right, here's the deal: if you help us take down Shaw and tell us what we need to know, we'll help you get back those kids and you can have a say in what goes down. Your children won't be indicted or harmed," said Burt. "You have my word."

Erika paused in consideration for a moment before nodding. "We have an agreement. But let me make one thing clear, Mr. Burt, until I have good reason to trust you and your fellow agent, all my information goes through Charles and his family and I work with them, not you. I work _with _those I choose and _for _no one. And when all this is over, don't come looking for me unless I seek you out."

In her mind, those weren't unreasonable terms, but Erika knew that humans could be particularly picky about those sort of matters. If things didn't go as she wanted, she could always act on her own plans and do as she wished.

"It's a deal," said Burt, finally. "Now, I suggest that we all get some sleep. We've got a lot to do, come the morning."

_Indeed we do, _thought Erika, as she rose up.

After collecting her things from her car, she had it returned and then joined her new little group on the ship. She shared quarters with Charles's sister and after getting into bed, she glanced over her two worn-out photographs of her loved ones, the only ones she possessed.

_I'll save you both and avenge your grandmother, I promise_, she silently swore, before finally falling into a fitful sleep.


	3. Cerebro

Cerebro

When morning came, Erika was dressed in a black leather jacket with a black shirt underneath, dark blue jeans, black high-heeled boots and sunglasses, as she got out of the car and walked up to Burt's facility with the others. He'd been authorized to study the use of paranormal powers in military defense. Knowing just how quickly "defense" could become "offense," Erika was still distrusting of him, his facility and MacTaggert, having learned the hard way to never trust the government.

Despite what she'd revealed the previous night and what little Charles had seen, there was still a great deal she had yet to reveal, and there was a dark secret she'd kept buried deep within in her mind for eighteen years, which she had no intention of revealing anytime soon to anyone.

Erika had made quick friends with Charles's foster sister and nephew. She found Raven's story interesting. Raven's powers had manifested when she was six. Her family hadn't taken well to them and Raven had been forced to flee. She'd learned how to control her gift alone and had run on her own on the streets for two years before Charles found her trying to steal a bite to eat from his kitchen. Being a kind soul, Charles had taken her in and they'd become family.

Raven was a shape-shifter, and her true form was of blue skin, yellow eyes and red hair. It was similar to her son's appearance. Apparently, during a trip to Germany when she was in her teens, Raven had married and divorced within a year. The only good thing that had come of her failed marriage was her beloved son, Kurt, whom she'd raised on her own with the help of her brother.

Despite his demonic appearance, Kurt had one of the purest hearts Erika had ever known and was a devoted Catholic. He'd known known fame as a circus acrobat and he'd inherited his teleportation abilities from his father, whom Raven wouldn't speak further of, other than he was a demon in every sense of the word. But unlike his parents who could shape-shift, Kurt couldn't change his appearance. Erika sympathized with them both, knowing what it was like to be unable to let others know just how special you really were, but she did not share in young Raven's desire for a normal appearance.

After a tour of Burt's facility, Erika found herself in one of the labs, where they were examining a model of an aircraft.

"What kind of aircraft is this?" asked Erika.

"It's a supersonic jet, the _Blackbird_," said a young scientist, as he approached them. He was quite handsome, but he still looked like your typical science geek. "The most advanced plane ever built. You should see it in real life. It's incredible."

"Hank, these are the special recruits I was telling you about," said Burt. "Everyone, this is Hank McCoy, one of our most talented young researchers."

Charles smiled as he walked over to Hank and shook his hand. "How wonderful. Another mutant already here. Why didn't you say?"

Hank's face fell as Burt looked confused. "Say what?"

Erika let out a soft chuckle as Charles looked embarrassed and apologetic. Charles's telepathy and excitement had gotten away with him and he'd exposed the poor boy's secret without thinking twice. Why did it not surprise her?

"Because you don't know," said Charles. He turned to Hank. "I'm so, so terribly sorry."

"Is your brother always like this?" asked Erika, to Raven.

Raven nodded and looked almost apologetic. "This is one of his better days. Sometimes he's worse, unfortunately. You get used to it."

Burt approached Hank, looking a tad hurt. "Hank, you're one of them? Why didn't you tell me?"

Hank looked uncomfortable. "You didn't ask, so I didn't see reason to tell you."

"So, your mutation is what, you're super-smart?" asked Raven, looking at him curiously.

"I'll say," said Charles. "Hank graduated from Harvard at age fifteen."

"I wish that's all it was," said Hank, softly. He looked nervous and far from the confident young scientist of but a few minutes ago.

Erika sighed in exasperation as she pushed the others aside. "All right, that's enough. Back off, all of you. You're making him uncomfortable. Give him some space. Most abilities don't work well when one's under pressure. Back off, now." She gave them all a warning look that none of them disobeyed. They all backed off, except for Raven, who kept smiling at Hank and who was obviously lessening Hank's stress. Erika placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're among your own kind now, Mr. McCoy. It's okay to show us your gift. Don't be scared."

Hank gave her a grateful smile before turning to Raven, who he smiled broadly for. He then took off his shoes and socks, revealing enormous ape-like feet before he did a backwards flip upward and attached himself onto the model of the jet, as everyone applauded.

Raven smiled more at Hank. "You're amazing."

Hank looked touched. "Really? Thanks."

Erika just smiled a little before turning to Charles, who'd tapped her on the shoulder.

"May I have a word with you? Privately?" he asked.

"You may," said Erika.

While everyone else was busy talking or admiring Hank's lab and his work, Erika and Charles went to a private section of the lab where they could talk.

"Erika, I want to apologize for last night. My intrusion into your mind was wrong, I'm sorry," said Charles, looking regretful. "When I sensed your presence and saw your gift, I just became so excited about meeting you, that I lost control and I acted without thinking. I'm deeply sorry. I won't enter your mind again without your consent, I promise."

Erika was surprised. Few had ever apologized to her in her life for anything, least of all for this. She had to admit that she also felt a twinge of guilt for her own actions. "I'll accept your apology if you accept mine for slapping you as I did. You and your nephew saved my life and I was too angry to see it. I'm sorry." It was ironic that anger fueled her abilities, and yet often blinded her. If he hadn't done what he had, she'd probably be dead and of no use to her children.

"Think nothing of it," said Charles, smiling. "What little I saw of your life was enough to show me of the kind person you truly are."

"And what's that?" she asked, warily.

"Someone who's been lonely for far too long, suffered more than anyone should have to, and yet still caring for what she's lost," he said, simply. "You're angry and hurt, but you still care. Wanda and Pietro are your life."

Erika was surprised by his answer, as she'd half-expected the worst, but he was complete and utterly right. She wanted revenge, but even more than that, she wanted her babies returned to her. "I want my children back, Charles. If I have to do it alone and by extreme measures, I will. There's nothing I won't do to get them back safely." And she honestly meant it. A mother's love and desire to protect her offspring knew no bounds whatsoever.

Charles took her hands in his. "I know, but Erika, listen to me, I'm concerned for you. I've felt your agony. I know what he did to you and I know part of you wants him dead, but I implore you not to quench your thirst for vengeance. Revenge is like a slow poison. It'll eat at you until there's nothing left. You have a chance to be something better. For the sake of your children, if nothing else, I implore you, please, stay here and don't give into that anger."

Erika sighed. Charles had a point, she had to admit. But that didn't mean she would completely comply with his requests. She still intended to make Shaw pay for what he did, but perhaps staying wouldn't be such a terrible idea. "I'll try. I'm not going anywhere. But for right now, I can't promise you anything more, Charles."

"Fair enough," said Charles, nodding. He had a sight hopeful look in his eyes. "But I do hope this means we're friends, at least."

"I don't see why we can't be," said Erika, softly. In her mind, there was no reason why she and Charles couldn't be friends. He was unlike other men she'd known in her life. Perhaps this would be a good thing in her life.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a throat being cleared. They turned to see Hank, carrying some folders under his arm and looking almost embarrassed. "Excuse me, I hope that I'm not interrupting anything. Am I?"

"Not at all, Charles and I were just finished with our talk," said Erika, as Charles nodded. "What is it you want, Mr. McCoy?"

"I was talking with Raven and she told me something interesting about you, Miss Lensherr. Can I borrow you for a few moments?" asked Hank.

"I suppose so," said Erika. What could this possibly be about?

She followed Hank to another corner of the lab where there was table with blueprints laying on it and just outside the little window on the wall; she could see the foundation of a machine that was nowhere near complete.

"You can manipulate metal, correct?" asked Hank.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, I was hoping you could help me with this project idea I have for Professor Xavier," said Hank. He showed her his plans for a device that he couldn't finish himself. Erika's powers and knowledge would be the key to it all.

Erika found herself consenting to help and then she was working through the night with Hank to create the machine. It was dawn by the time they were finished. After she got a few hours' sleep, she went to talk with Charles, who was speaking with Burt about the machine.

"I'm so glad Hank finally got the machine up and running," she heard Burt say. "He turned that radar installation into a transmitter. According to his blueprints, it's designed to amplify brainwaves, so it could enhance your telepathic powers and help us find other mutants for our division."

"What if they don't want to be found by you?" demanded Erika, making her presence known. She didn't quite like the sound of Burt's plan.

Both men looked up when they saw her, though only Charles was smiling. "Erika," he said, sounding pleased. "I'm glad to see you're staying on. What're you doing in here?"

"I just needed to talk with you both," said Erika, as she turned to Burt. "If a new species is being discovered, it should be by its own kind. Charles, Kurt and I will find the mutants, no suits." It made perfect sense in her mind. If mutants were discovered by the authorities, it'd cause fear and trouble. It'd be better long-term for them to be found by fellow mutants. There was also the fact that Burt's comments unsettled her somewhat.

"Why you do want Kurt's help?" asked Charles, curiously.

"Kurt's teleportation abilities make him invaluable to the mission," explained Erika. "There's also the fact that he might be able to reach out to some of the mutants better than you or I can."

"Regardless of that fact, there are still several variables you're failing to consider," said Burt, stiffly. "First of all, that's my machine out there. Second of all, and much more importantly, this is Charles's decision, not yours. Charles is fine with the CIA being involved. Isn't that right?"

Charles and Erika shared a brief silent conversation before Charles turned to Burt. "No, I'm sorry, but I'm with Erika. We'll find them alone."

"What if I say no?" demanded Burt.

Neither Erika nor Charles looked the least bit fazed by Burt's threat of refusal. It was his machine, yes, but he was failing to realize exactly whom he was talking to. If he was going to play this game, they'd play their hand as well.

"Then good luck using your installation without me," said Charles, coolly.

"There's also the fact that the machine is metal and I can destroy it without a second thought," said Erika, folding her arms across her chest. If the agent wasn't going to cooperate, she'd destroy the machine quicker than he could blink. While she knew they couldn't work it without Charles, there was no way she was going to leave it in the hands of humans and risk them finding another way to make it work. "It's your choice, Mr. Burt. What's it going to be?"

There was a brief moment's silence before Burt finally sighed and said, "All right, fine. You win. No suits. You can work alone."

Erika smiled. Human were so easy to manipulate. "Thank-you," she said. "Now, shall we go see Mr. McCoy's machine, gentleman? Raven and Kurt are already on their way as we speak."

Without waiting for a reply, Erika took off for Hank's machine, smirking inwardly to herself when she saw that the two gentlemen were right behind her.

XXX

Twenty minutes later, Kurt, Charles, Raven and Erika entered the machine where Hank was adjusting the controls and settings. The building itself was enormous and round and similar to a golf ball in appearance. Inside was a spiral staircase leading up to a second level which contained several large computers, a pedestal for Charles, a strange-looking metal helmet with wires attached to it that came from the computers, and a printing device.

"Welcome to Cerebro," said Hank, when they came in. As he spoke, he seemed quite excited and somewhat nervous about his work.

"Hank, why don't you explain to them how Cerebro works?" asked Erika, trying to help him.

Hank looked almost relieved. "Oh, yes, of course. Well, the electrodes connect Charles to the transmitter on the roof. When he picks up a mutant, his brain sends a signal through a relay, and then the coordinates of their location are printed out over here," said Hank, beckoning to each piece of equipment as he spoke.

"You designed this?" said Raven, looking impressed.

"Yes," said Hank, blushing under Raven's attention.

"It's quite brilliant, Herr McCoy," said Kurt, in amazement.

"Well, to be quite honest, the machine wouldn't even be up and running without Miss Lensherr's help," he admitted. "She was able to fix the flaws in my designs and her magnetic abilities are the reason this is even possible."

"Nonsense. I only did what was necessary," said Erika, as Raven and Kurt looked at her in awe.

"Excellent work, both of you," said Charles, smiling as he began placing the headpiece on.

Erika couldn't help but look a tad concerned. "Charles, if anything goes wrong, just say so, and I'll shut it down." She wanted this to work, but not at the expense of her friend. It was bad enough he looked like a lab rat—and she'd know, considering she'd been a lab rat.

Charles just gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, Erika."

"Enough chatter, let's get this started," said Hank.

He started powering up the machine as the room became dark and then the machine lit up. Suddenly, Charles let out a gasp before he started laughing. Coordinates were appearing on the graph. Erika relaxed. It was working! After a few more moments, Hank shut down the machine at Charles's request. Charles was smiling broadly.

"That was incredible," said Charles. "I've never experienced such a thing in my life before. I've never been able to touch so many minds before. Excellent job, both of you. Really excellent."

"Did you find Shaw?" asked Erika. That had been part of the reason she'd agreed to help Hank. If Charles could locate Shaw, she'd find what she was looking for.

Charles's face fell as he shook his head. "No, unfortunately, I didn't. But I did find several mutants that I think can and will help us. Hank, give me the list of coordinates and then we'll retrieve them."

Hank tore off the paper and handed it to him. "Good luck, Professor."

And with that, they prepared for their departure. Half an hour later, they were ready to go, but Raven wasn't letting them teleport away without saying good-bye. It had taken a lot of persuasion to get her to let Kurt go and while she'd agreed, she was still anxious about it. Erika fully understood her feelings, being a mother herself. It was only to be expected.

Raven hugged Erika and Charles. "You'd all better come back safely, or I'll kill you. And the two of you had better good take care of Kurt," she said, warningly. She then held Kurt close. "And you had better be careful. Don't forget to wear your image inducer when you're in public and if anything goes wrong, teleport straight back here. Okay?"

"Mutter, ve'll be fine," said Kurt, as he hugged her. "Don't vorry so much."

"Kurt, she's your mother. Worrying about our offspring's what we do best," said Erika, chuckling. Though in spite of her smile, Erika felt a pang of envy, watching Kurt and Raven as it reminded her all too well of when she fussed over Wanda and Pietro when they were children. She would give anything to have those kind of moments just once more.

"We'll be fine and we'll watch out for Kurt, I promise," said Charles.

"I'll hold you to that, Charles," said Raven, sternly.

And with that, Charles and Erika took Kurt's hands and then they teleported away.

Over the next several days, the trio found four mutants who they thought could be helpful in the upcoming confrontation. The first was a young boy named Alex Summers, who could emit energy blasts. The second was a dancer girl called Angel Salvadore, with insectoid physiology who had the ability to fight and fire acid balls. The third was an African-American taxicab driver, Armando Munoz, who had the power to adapt to any situation to survive. And the fourth was Sean Cassidy, a young teenager with the ability to produce supersonic screams.

All four of them agreed to join the CIA's mutant division after Erika and Charles spoke with them and Kurt proved them that being different didn't mean you were a freak. They were all especially happy to find out that they weren't the only ones of their kind, that they weren't alone in the world when it came to what they were.

They stopped their travels for a short break one day. They booked several rooms at a hotel. Erika and Charles had been talking in his room until they'd stopped for a few moments. Charles had to send out some messages and he'd sent Kurt out with money to buy everyone's dinner while Erika was quietly reading in comfortable silence. The silence was broken when Charles asked, "Erika, do you play chess?"

"I do indeed. Quite well, in fact, why?" she asked, peeking up from her novel.

He held up an old chess set. "Would you care for a game?"

Erika smiled as she put down her book. "Certainly." She hadn't played in a while and she had a feeling Charles would be a worthy opponent.

They proved to be evenly matched and they each won two of the four games that they played. It made them both smile.

"I must say, I've never met an opponent like you, Charles," said Erika, as they finally put away the chess set. "No one's even beaten me in chess before."

"Likewise," said Charles, softly, not quite meeting her gaze.

Erika gazed upon him and recognized the signs. "Is there something on your mind?"

"Yes, actually. I can't stop thinking about the others out there, all those minds I touched. I could feel them," said Charles, finally meeting her eyes. He looked somewhat excited, but hesitant at the same time. "Their isolation, their hopes, their ambitions…I tell you, we're at the start of something incredible, Erika. We can help them."

"Can we? Or are we wrong?" Despite it all, she still had her doubts and couldn't help but feel that history was repeating itself. "Identification, that's how it starts, and then it ends with being rounded up, experimented on and then eliminated."

"Not this time," said Charles, insistently. "We have common enemies—Shaw, the Russians. They need us."

"For now," she corrected. For someone so brilliant, he was failing to see what plain as day to Erika. "But what happens when we're no longer needed anymore? If there's anything I've learned, it's not to take anything for granted. What you've gained can be taken away, just as easily. Those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it. What if that's happening now? Only, instead of my fellow Jews, it's our fellow mutants." Her father had been needed in WWI, and when he was needed no more, he was treated like dirt on the government's shoes.

"Erika—"

But he was cut off when Kurt suddenly teleported in with their food. "Sorry, Uncle Charles, Miss Lensherr, am I interrupting?" he asked, looking apologetic.

"No, you weren't," said Erika, before Charles could speak. She took her meal from Kurt. "Thank-you for getting us dinner, Kurt."

"You're-Velcome," said Kurt.

Erika and Charles's discussion did not continue, most likely because Erika suspected Charles could tell she wished to drop the subject for the time being, but she had a suspicion, that their little talk was far from over.

After dinner, Erika found herself walking around the streets of the city they were in and somehow, she wound up at the local church. There was mass going on and the members of the church were singing a familiar hymn. Feeling something stirring inside her that she hadn't felt in years, Erika quietly slipped into the building and hid amongst the dark shadows as she listened to the hymns and sermons. When it was over and the church all but empty, save for the priest who was in his office, she lingered and for the first time in years, she knelt by a statue and prayed.

"Lord, I've always been told and taught that you're always there and listening to everyone's prayers here on earth," said Erika, softly. "I'm not sure you'd listen to mine, considering my past and what I am. I'm not even sure what I believe in anymore, but I do hope that there's something or someone out there who can help me. Please, watch over us and my children. Keep us all safe and help me get my children back from Shaw, please. Amen."

"That vas beautiful, Fraulein Lensherr," said a voice.

Erika turned to see Kurt behind her, with his image inducer off. No doubt with the lack of people inside, he'd felt it safe enough to look like his normal self.

"You can call me, Erika," she said, as she rose up. "Did you follow me?"

"No, I came by earlier for the meeting and vhen I saw you, I thought you might need someone to talk to. Uncle Charles told me about earlier," explained Kurt. He looked concerned for her.

Erika sighed. "Perhaps," she admitted. "Perhaps not. I don't know."

Kurt made no reply, but sat down on one of the pews and beckoned for her to sit with him. Erika obliged with Kurt's silent request. She was grateful for Kurt's presence. In some way, he reminded her of her son, and that brought her comfort in some strange way.

Erika bit her lip. "Kurt, I feel history's repeating itself. Mutants will be found out one way or another, sooner or later, but few will accept us, whether our abilities are easy to hide like mine or difficult, like yours is. Mankind fears what it doesn't understand and sooner or later, that'll turn to hatred." _And then a war will start between _homo sapiens _and _homo superior_, and it'll be just like the Holocaust all over again. If it comes to a war, which it probably will, then I'll fight on the mutants' side until my last breath. Mutant and proud. _

Kurt snapped her out of her thoughts by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You cannot change the hearts of men; they must do that, themselves." He held up his inducer. "I vear this because I must, for now; and one day people vill know the truth about me. Once, I vas not so accepting of vhat I vas, but I made my peace vith it long ago. It's the Lord's vill that I am like this and I have faith in his plan for me."

_Then faith is blinder than I once thought. _Erika shook her hand. Kurt, I sympathize with your desire to no longer having to hide and I applaud you accepting yourself. However, I don't understand how you don't feel hatred or anger towards those who would fear and hate you. How can you still have faith in God after everything?"

Granted she'd just prayed, but she had little to no faith after her sufferings. Truth be told, she'd more or less given up after her mother's death.

"Because my trials drove me to seek God and it's vith him that I've found peace and acceptance. Your story is different than mine in many ways, and yet similar in others. Come vith me," said Kurt, holding out his hand. "And let me telling you a story you might learn something from."

Erika hesitated, but then took Kurt's hand and then he teleported them onto the church's room.

"When I vas younger, I traveled to Germany and it vas there that I spent several years with a group of circus performers vho became family to me. I became a skilled trapeze artist and swordsman. I vas famous for being something of a 'goofball,' you might say. My brother figure, Stefan, vas a sorcerer, and a very gifted one at that. But he feared vhat he was capable of and made swear to stop him if he ever crossed the line. I thought little of it at first, but a few years later, terrible things vere happening to the children of the village and I later found out that Stefan vas the one behind it all."

"Good heavens," said Erika, trying and failing not to picture such a thing in her mind. "What did you do?"

"I confronted him and I discovered he'd become consumed by the dark magic he vas practicing. Vhether he vas possessed or just mad, I'll never know. I tried to stop him, I tried to help him and reason vith him, but he fought me at a building's entrance and in the ensuring fight, he fell down the front steps and died. It vas then that the villagers found us. The village vas cut off from the rest of the vorld and knew not of mutants, or anything of the like. They thought I vas a demon and that I vas the one responsible for the recent tragedies.

"They vent after me and sought to put an end to me. I could only flee so far before I vas found. I vas cornered and then I prayed. I said, 'Lord, forgive them for they know not vhat they do.' Luckily, Uncle Charles and Mother were able to rescue me in time and they helped me vith it all."

"And you honestly feel no anger towards the ones who feared and hated you?" said Erika, stunned, by this revelation. "How can you not despise them? Do you still mean what you said back then?"

"No, I don't despise them. How can I? They didn't know the truth. I meant vhat I said back then and I still mean it now," said Kurt, gently. "I have no hatred for any who fear or hate my true form because I only pity them. Do you know vhy? It's because most people vill never know anything beyond vhat they see vith their own two eyes."

Erika's throat tightened. Kurt's strength was obviously far stronger than that of her own, and he showed wisdom beyond his years, but it didn't change her opinions. "Well, I wish I had your strength, Kurt, but I gave up on pity, a long time ago." In her experience, pity was useless and there was no reason to pity the ones who'd hurt her when they only deserved her rage.

Kurt shook his head at her and he looked sympathetic and almost pitying. "Someone vith your heart, should not be so angry," he said, softly.

Shouldn't be? How could he possibly say that? He wasn't like her. "How can I not be angry? I became angry with all my sufferings and losses, I feel nothing but anger towards my enemies, and it's anger that gives me strength and fuels my power," said Erika, bitterly.

"It is not just anger that gives you strength, Erika," said Kurt, gently. "It is also faith and something more. You need only to see it for yourself. God's never forsaken you. Once you vere alone, but now you have friends and people vho care about you. And I believe that you be reunited vith your children once more. Keep faith."

Erika was quiet, not knowing what to say as she rose up.

"_Danke, _Kurt," she said. "Please, take me back to my room. I have much to think about and I need to rest."

Kurt just nodded before complying with her request.

That night, Erika lay awake on her bed for a long time, just thinking.

Her talk with Kurt kept ringing through her mind. Kurt's story of compassion and forgiveness and compassion had touched her, but she was forcing those feelings back. _Keep faith. _Those were her mother's words, and her mother had never lost faith, not even when Shaw threatened her. She'd been strong, even when Erika hadn't. Erika thought back to those twelve years when she was raising Wanda and Pietro. She'd raised them in her own religion, despite what little, if any, faith that she had left. Had she not truly given up on what she'd known? Could it really be possible? Was Kurt right about what he said?

Eventually, Erika slipped into a fitful slumber.


	4. Lines Drawn

Lines Drawn

The next day, when they returned to the CIA, while the new recruits were with Raven and Hank, Erika and the others were meeting with the CIA bosses.

"We have intel that Shaw's meeting with the Russian Defense Chief in Moscow," said the boss, as he sat down. "So, go ahead, say it."

"I'm not here to say I told you so," said Moira. "I just want clearance for Charles, Erika and Kurt to come along and the other mutants if they so desire."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, bring along your mutants and fight fire with fire," he said, sighing. "It makes sense, I suppose."

"So, vhat is your decision?" asked Kurt.

He sighed yet again. "My answer's yes. MacTaggart, you have your clearance. If they want to go with you to Moscow, fine. But I'd advise you only taking a few of them with you, if we're to keep this covert and quiet."

"You're actually okay with this, sir?" demanded Agent Stryker, a man who clearly feared and hated mutants. "Sending in a bunch of untrained, unauthorized freaks?"

"Excuse me," said Burt, sounding annoyed. "But these 'freaks' are dedicated, hardworking _people_."

Burt's words were kind and true and they even won Erika over, but before Burt could continue or Agent Stryker could speak, Erika interrupted. She was quite furious with Stryker and she was having a bit of difficultly restraining her temper. In fact, there was the faint sound of metal rattling and it was starting to grow worse.

"Agent Stryker, I've had just about enough of your attitude towards my kind," she snarled. "Your behavior is childish and pointless. Mutants are different to humans, yes, but people are people, no matter what they are! 'If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?' Come to think of it, I knew of a _human_ that shared your attitude towards those who were different, only he was against harmless Jews and actually did more than just talk. Pity he's dead, otherwise, I think you would've gotten along quite well with him, don't you?"

Agent Stryker looked angry at her insinuation that he was like Hitler, and he was about to speak when Charles intervened. "I think we'd better be going now. Our plane leaves in an hour and we need to decide how many we're taking with us to Russia. Please, excuse us."

Once they were out of earshot and Erika had calmed down enough, he said, "Did you really have to provoke him like that?"

"Don't tell me you weren't thinking of saying the same thing," she said, flatly. "Besides, someone had to silence him, if nothing else."

Charles said nothing, but looked thoroughly exasperated.

Before Erika, Charles and Kurt headed out to Russia, they agreed that it would be just the three of them going and they found out that Raven and the others had decided on code names for themselves. Angel was calling herself Tempest, Armando's codename was Darwin, Alex's was Havok, Hank's was Beast, Kurt was going by his circus name of Nightcrawler, Raven was calling herself Mystique, and Sean was calling himself Banshee. What Erika found interesting were the names they'd come up with for Erika and Charles. Raven declared that Charles was to be Professor X and Erika was to be called Magnetrix.

_Magnetrix_, she mused. _I think I'll keep it. My enemies already know me as the Mistress of Magnetism. What's one more name, and one that defines me even more?_

After a very long flight, they were in a small truck with several soldiers, driving up to the Russian Military Retreat in Moscow, where hopefully they'd find Shaw.

They were nearly caught by Russian soldiers on the way there, but Charles's telepathic abilities kept them cloaked and they made it to their location without any further problems. Soon, they were crouching down in the foliage, watching as one of Shaw's aerial transportation vehicles arrived. But it was Emma Frost who emerged from the helicopter, not Shaw.

Erika put down her binoculars as she frowned. "Where the devil's Shaw?" she demanded.

"I don't know," said Charles, frowning. "But she's a telepath and if I read her, she'll know we're here. I'll try something else." He placed two of his fingers on his left temple for a few moments before he shook his head. "Shaw's not coming. So, what now, Moira?"

"Now nothing," said Moira, firmly. "We're here for Shaw and he hasn't come, so the mission is aborted."

Erika felt a rush of anger as she started to get up. "The devil it is," she said. "You can leave if you want, but I'm going in."

Moira grabbed Erika's sleeve, forcing her down. "Erika, no!" she hissed.

"Frost is Shaw's right-hand woman. She'll know where Shaw is and where my children are," said Erika, angrily as she yanked herself free of Moira's grip. "Frost is not Shaw; but she'll have what I need, which makes her invaluable."

"The CIA invading the home of a senior Soviet official?" hissed Moira. "Are you crazy?"

"Then it's a good thing I'm not CIA, isn't it?" she spat. Moira couldn't possibly understand what Erika was feeling. Moira hadn't lost her entire family in war and she hadn't suffered as Erika had suffered. "When you've lost what I have to that monster, you'll understand how I feel, MacTaggert." Erika turned to Kurt. "Can you teleport me inside?"

Kurt shook his head. "Nein, I have to see or know vhere I'm going. Othervise I could trap us both inside a vall," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You've done your best. I'll get in another way," said Erika. She got up and left, ignoring the protests of the others.

Erika set into action. Power surged through her and she was bursting with a great deal of anger, which was unlucky for her enemies, because there was no wrath like an angry and determined mother whose power was fueled by anger and pain.

Quickly, she reached out and trapped several of the Russian soldiers in a net of barbed wire. The wire came at them from behind, in the front and from the side, catching their legs and arms and pinning them down and then pulling them into the forest surrounding the house. Once the area was cleared, she lifted up the metal gate, ran up the path and up to the house.

Two soldiers aimed their guns at her, but she just pulled their guns forward and then forced both men to fall down before she knocked them both. She walked up the steps and entered the house. She was met by more guards in the hall of the house, who tried to fire upon her. She reached out and dismantled the guns into little pieces before knocking out the guards.

"You _homo sapiens _and your guns," she muttered. What was it with humans and firearms? It didn't make them stronger or better. In fact, in her opinion, a gun was a coward's weapon. "Pathetic. Just pathetic."

Just then, Kurt and Charles teleported in and they appeared right behind her. Erika guessed that Charles must've read the mind of the one of the soldiers so Kurt would know where to go.

"I was wondering when you two show up," said Erika, not at all surprised to see them.

"Can't let you handle all of this alone, now can we?" said Charles.

Erika smiled the tiniest bit. "Come on, let's go."

A few moments later, they entered the bedroom of the Russian Official. Frost was on the couch, eating a snack while the official was trapped in some kind of telepathic illusion, which stopped when Frost lost her concentration at the sight of them.

"Go to sleep," said Charles, when the official snapped out of the illusion and tried to grab his gun. The official complied with Charles's telepathic request and fell asleep.

Frost then got up and shifted into her diamond form. She gave them a smug smirk. "You can stop trying to read my mind, Xavier," she said, as Charles winced. "You're never going to get anything from me while I'm like this."

"And neither will you get anything from us," said Erika, coolly. She'd done her research. As long as Frost was in her diamond form, she couldn't use her telepathy. "But there's more than one way to get information than just a simple mind-scan."

A flicker of fear briefly crossed Frost's face, and then just as it vanished, she tried to escape, but her effort was fruitless. Erika reached out and forced Frost back by making the metal of the bedpost grab her and pin her down. Frost was now shackled to the bedpost and she wasn't going anywhere, not if Erika had any say in it. Charles may not be able to read Frost's mind at that moment, but there was more than one way to retrieve information. Her time with Shaw had taught her that.

"I'm going to make this real easy for you, Frost," said Erika, coldly. "You can either tell us where precious Shaw and my children are, willingly right now, or I'll force you to revert back to your normal form and Charles will pull the information out of your brain. It's your choice."

Frost just sneered at her. "You don't scare me, Lensherr. You're bluffing. You're not going to get anything out of me. Oh, and let me just say, your filthy little demon spawn are never going to be yours again. Shaw has great plans for them and they're the Hellfire Club's property now."

Erika's jaw and fists clenched as she felt a fresh surge of anger. "Don't you _ever _insult them like that again!" she growled. "They are not anything of the kind! They are no one's property, least of all that monster's, that you worship, you evil little witch." Ignoring the protests of Charles and Kurt, she tightened Frost's bonds so much that her diamond form around her arms and stomach began to slightly crack. Frost then reverted back to her regular form as Erika loosened the metal bonds.

"I warned you, Frost," said Erika. "Pity it had to come to this." She turned to Charles. "She's all yours. And don't worry; she won't be shifting to her diamond form again. If she does, just give her a gentle tap."

Erika helped herself to some of the food and drink that was sitting on a small table, as Charles read Frost's mind. Erika felt somewhat conflicted inside. She hadn't wanted to do what she just had, to Frost, but when she was angry, she lost her control, especially when the ones she loved most of all were in danger. When that happened, she saw red and her inhibitions were lost.

Charles eventually pulled away, looking horrified and worried as Frost smirked again. Whatever he'd seen, apparently it wasn't good.

"Beautiful isn't it?" said Frost, smirking.

"Vhat did you see, Uncle Charles?" asked Kurt.

"Nothing good," said Charles, gravely. "This is worse than we imagined. We need to head back now. The others are in danger."

Erika didn't like the sound of that. She bound Frost's hands behind her back to keep her from escaping, and then Kurt teleported them out of the house before they headed back to the base, praying they weren't too late.

XXX

At the CIA's base, Raven and the other mutants were enjoying themselves in the rec room of Burt's facility. Armando and Alex were playing pinball and Alex was soundly defeating Armando. Sean was half-asleep on one of the armchairs after finishing off a large soda. Hank was sipping a cup of coffee while reading a book. Raven and Angel were talking while they sat one of the couches.

It was then that their fun and games was spoiled by two rather rude agents, who didn't quite shared Burt and Moira's kindness towards mutants. The two agents were walking past the window when they stopped in their tracks to look at them.

"Hey, I didn't know the circus was in town," said the first agent, as the second one laughed. "Hey, sweetheart, why don't you show us your wings?"

"Or, why don't you show us your feet, Bigfoot?" sneered the second agent.

"Why don't you shut up?" snarled Alex, who'd stopped his game for a moment and was glaring at the two agents.

Hank rose up and closed the curtains, cutting off the agents' drivel, but the evening was spoiled nevertheless. Everyone looked somewhat down as that wasn't the first bout of mockery they'd endured that day. Angel seemed to be taking it the worst, judging from the slight redness of her eyes and how quiet she'd become.

"They're just guys being stupid," said Raven, trying to comfort her friend. She hated it too, and she wanted to be able to walk around freely in her blue form, but she knew it wasn't time yet.

Angel gave her a hard look. "Guys being stupid I can handle. I've been handling that my whole life. But _that _was not just some guys being stupid. I hate it," she said, sounding bitter.

Raven sighed. "Look, Angel, I know it's hard, but we can get through it. Look at my son, look at Kurt. He's gone through a lot and he's doing fine. You've just got to be patient. Those guys make fun of us, but they're just ignorant fools."

"But even Kurt's hiding behind his image inducer," said Hank, softly.

"For now," said Raven. She was slightly hurt by Hank's comment. She and Hank had been taken with one another and growing close since they'd first met and to hear him say that about her son didn't make her happy in the slightest. "But even though Kurt's endured a lot and he's concealing his true form for now, he's willing to wait until we can be accepted. He's still patient and caring. If he can do that, why can't we do the same?"

"She's got a point," said Armando.

Everyone was quiet before they nodded in agreement. Though Kurt's appearance was startling, he had quickly won everyone's hearts with his playful nature and compassion. It was difficult _not _to like him. The truth was, Kurt was probably stronger than a lot of them, emotionally.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise that made everyone stop what they were doing. It sounded somewhat familiar. It sounded like someone teleporting.

"What was that?" asked Sean, now fully awake. "Is that blue elf of yours back already, Raven?"

Raven shook her head. "No. Kurt's not due back until tomorrow." Unlike his father, from whom Kurt had inherited his power; Kurt's teleportation ability was limited. He couldn't have teleported back from Russia so quickly and he certainly would've contacted her if they were coming back early. "And that doesn't sound like his bamf." One thing she'd always noticed, Kurt and his father's teleportation noises differed slightly.

That revelation seemed to unsettle everyone.

"If that's not Kurt, then I've got a bad feeling about this," said Armando.

He opened up the curtains as everyone joined him at the window. The noise continued and then suddenly, high in the sky was a man clutching Burt. Suddenly, the man holding Burt vanished in a cloud of red smoke and Burt was killed as everyone either recoiled or screamed.

Raven paled as her breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the man. She knew that sound. She knew that smoke. She knew those blades. She knew that mark of work. Worse still, she knew _him_, the mutant, or rather the demon, who was doing the crime.

"Azazel," she whispered.

Hank frowned. "Azazel?" he repeated. "You _know _that mutant?"

"Believe me, I wish I didn't. He's not a mutant. He's my ex-husband, Kurt's biological father and a demon," she confessed.

"You're telling us that the Elf's father is a freaking _demon_?" said Darwin, looking shocked. "Your son's half-mutant, half-demon?"

Raven nodded. She had never told anyone, save for Charles and Kurt the truth about her failed marriage and ex-husband.

The fact of the matter was, when Raven met Azazel in Germany, he'd been posing as wealthy and powerful lord. He'd been charming and charismatic. He'd swept her off her feet and they fell in love. Before long, they'd revealed their secrets to one another. Raven revealed her mutant ability to shape-shift and she found out Azazel was a powerful demon with the ability to teleport, among other things. Raven had loved him so much that she didn't care Azazel was a demon by birth, but she was pleased when he assured her he'd given up his demonic practices quite some time ago and was only a good man now. Within a year, they'd married and had a son, Kurt Wagner, partially named for an old friend of theirs.

At first, it had seemed a happy ending was in order, but this wasn't to be. When Kurt was just a few days old, Raven accidentally discovered that, among other things, Azazel had lied about giving up his demonic practices and he had plans for their son—plans that Raven refused to let Kurt be a part of. He'd proved he was just a monster. As a result, Raven divorced Azazel and fled to safety of her foster brother's home to raise Kurt in peace. She had not seen Azazel since that night and now her past had come back to haunt her.

_Maybe sending Kurt away with Charles and Erika wasn't such a bad idea after all. _She was suddenly quite glad Kurt wasn't in the facility. Kurt had always known about his father, but they'd never met, for which Raven was grateful. Kurt was safer, better off without his father's influence.

"If you know him, then how do we stop him?" asked Angel, as Azazel continued his capture-and-drop-the-agent routine. There were lights turning on and every agent in the facility was on alert as they were being attacked.

"I don't know how to stop him!" said Raven, angrily. "He's the most dangerous man that I've ever met. Azazel can teleport _anywhere_ and he's got powers none of us have!" Azazel didn't just teleport, he could shape-shift, use magic and swords, and he was also immortal and highly intelligent. If he was working with Shaw, there was no telling what he'd do.

Everyone then screamed as the situation quickly grew steadily worse as Shaw's forces began tearing through the facility. Cerebro was quickly destroyed by one of Riptide's powerful tornados. One of the buildings exploded from Shaw's attack. The most terrifying of them, was Azazel, whose swordsmanship skills, agility and teleporting abilities made him the perfect assassin.

Raven and the others were huddled together in their room as per their orders. They were scared out of their minds and hoping they weren't going to end up like the agents that were trying to protect them from Shaw's forces.

"Forget about staying here!" said Armando. "Let's go!"

No one argued with him as they all ran out of their room and into the hall. They tried to help defend the facility, but to no avail. They were forced back into their room and forced to helplessly watch the terrible events. The door was then blasted open by a surge of red energy, and then there was an encircling streak of white that forced them all back. Within moments, they saw Erika's children, Wanda and Pietro, standing guard over them.

Then suddenly, a deafening silence fell upon them and then Azazel teleported into the room, still holding his blades. It was the first time Raven had seen him since she'd left him. He hadn't changed one bit. He looked just like Kurt. He had the same body shape, dark almond-shaped eyes, jet-black hair, triangular face, and pointed tail. But unlike Kurt, Azazel's skin was red, he had a goatee, his hair was slicked back with hair gel, he wore a dark suit, he was considerably older, and his hands had five fingers instead of three.

Azazel gazed them intently until his dark eyes lit up with recognition.

"Hello, _Ворон__,_" said Azazel, as Raven glared at him. He pocketed his blades and then gently caressed Raven's cheek. "You're as beautiful as I remember. But I must say, I didn't expect to see you again after you left me."

"Feeling's mutual, Azazel," said Raven, coldly as she jerked away from him. Though she'd been heartbroken when she'd left him, she hadn't wanted to see her ex-husband again. When he hadn't come looking for her or Kurt and had signed the divorce papers, she'd assumed that was the end of it forever. She was wrong. She should've expected it. After all, during their short marriage, he'd kept seeking to please her. Perhaps his actions had been his attempt to do just that.

Azazel just smirked. "Nevertheless, it is so vonderful to see you again, my beloved. You have not aged a day. Vhere is little Kurt, my son? I trust he's well?"

"Kurt's not here and he's fine, thank heavens for that," growled Raven. "And don't you dare call him _your _son. You stopped being his father when you proved to me you're as much a monster on the inside as well as the outside."

Before Azazel could respond, Riptide and Shaw came in. Shaw was wearing a strange-looking metal helmet.

"Ah, Azazel. Is the telepath here?" asked Shaw.

"_Nyet_," said Azazel, as he stepped away from Raven. He kept his gaze upon her. One could tell from the look in his black eyes that he still loved her, but there was little that could be done about it, as Raven no longer loved him.

Shaw looked almost disappointed. "Too bad. Well, at least I can take this off," he said. He took off his helmet and placed it in the hands of Riptide.

"Good evening. My name is Sebastian Shaw," he said. "And I'm not here to hurt you. My friends, there's a revolution coming, when mankind discovers who we are and what we can do. When that day comes, each of us will face a choice—be enslaved or rise up to rule. Choose freely, but know that if you are not with us, then you are, by definition, against us. So, you can stay and fight for the people that hate and fear you, or you can join me and live like kings and queens."

For a moment, no one moved, but then much to everyone's horror, Angel took Shaw's hand and started walking away with him.

"Angel, are you kidding me?" said Sean, making them stop in their tracks. "You're going to join up with him after what he's just done? Why?"

"Why shouldn't I?" said Angel, as tears pooled in her eyes. "He's right. We don't belong here, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. So, I'm going with him."

"Vill you not join us as vell, my love?" asked Azazel, as he held out his hand for Raven to take.

Raven just gave him a cold, hard look before she slapped him hard. "After what you've done, I'd rather die than be with you." Once, she'd loved Azazel with all her heart, but finding out just how much of a monster he really was gave her the strength she needed to leave him and raise their son in a better life. She'd moved on and was completely over Azazel. She no longer loved him.

Azazel actually looked disappointed as he pulled away. "Suit yourself, then."

Angel and Shaw started walking away, along with the rest of Shaw's goons as Raven and the other mutants watched.

"We have to do something," said Raven, quietly. Though she knew what Angel was doing was her own choice, they couldn't let her go like that. Shaw was a monster. They had to show her that she was cared about by them at the very least. From everything Erika had said about Shaw and from what they'd just witnessed, she knew Angel was walking straight into a terrible life.

And with that, they quickly formulated a plan and then they acted on it.

Armando quickly stepped out of the room just as Shaw and his goons were about to teleport away to wherever their headquarters were.

"Hey, wait, stop! I'm coming with you," he said.

Shaw and Angel looked quite pleased, while Erika's children retained their cold looks, and Riptide and Azazel looked somewhat skeptical as Raven and her group started walking along the wall of their destroyed rec room.

"Good choice," said Shaw. "So, tell me about your mutation."

"Well, I adapt to survive, so I guess I'm coming with you," said Armando, calmly.

Shaw smiled. "I like that. Please, join us."

Armando nodded and started walking towards them, as if to follow up on Shaw's offer, but then he grabbed Angel.

"Alex, now!" he yelled.

Alex let out two enormous blast of energy while Amando shielded Angel with his body as he made himself turn rock-hard. The plan would've worked, had Shaw not absorbed Alex's energy as quickly as Alex had fired it.

"Protecting your fellow mutants? That's a noble gesture," said Shaw, smirking. "Feels good, doesn't it?" He then grabbed Armando and pinched his face. "You say you can adapt to survive? Adapt to this."

Shaw forced Armando to swallow a piece of Alex's energy blast before he vanished. Armando was not so lucky, as this was the one thing he could not adapt to. Armando looked at his friends with a smile on his face before he turned into ashes.

Raven and the others could do nothing but watch. What on earth were they going to do now?


	5. Between Rage and Serenity

Between Rage and Serenity

The following morning Moira, Erika, Charles and Kurt returned to the facility. Despite getting one of the quickest planes they could find and even with Kurt's teleportation abilities, they had arrived too late to prevent Shaw's actions.

The damage done was worse than Erika had imagined. The facility was all but completely destroyed, there was a heavy list of casualties, policemen and soldiers were everywhere, and their little group of mutants sat outside looking complete and utterly wrecked.

Upon their arrival, Raven embraced Charles before she hugged Kurt tightly as she cried. "Thank heavens you're both all right," she said. "It was terrible. Shaw's enlisted Azazel's help."

Kurt actually paled. "My-my father vas vith him?" he whispered, horrified. "He did this?"

Raven nodded. "And Shaw's got a helmet that can block out telepathic abilities."

Erika frowned. _A helmet that can block out telepathy? But how could Shaw have something like that with him? Unless…_Erika's face darkened in realization as she said something in another language none of them spoke as she clenched her fist in anger, making them all stare at her.

"Erika, what is it?" asked Charles, concerned.

"The helmet Shaw has, it's mine. I created it years ago in case of an emergency," she explained. "It's designed to protect the wearer's mind from those with telepathic abilities. It was stolen six weeks after it was made. I didn't know it was in Shaw's possession. As long as he's got that helmet, your telepathy's useless against him."

Charles frowned in concern. "It would explain why I couldn't find him with Cerebro. This does present a problem. But, we'll get past it. Every puzzle has a solution."

_And you're ever the optimist_, thought Erika. _With my helmet in Shaw's possession, how do you intend to find him or stop him? _

"In the meantime, we've made arrangements for all of you to be taken home immediately," said Charles, to the young mutants.

"We're not going home," said Sean, firmly.

Charles blinked as Erika smirked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Shaw killed Darwin," said Alex. "You may think that's all the more reason to leave—"

"Which it is," interrupted Charles, sternly. "This is over."

_The devil it's over_. Erika knew there was nothing Charles could do to make the young mutants change their minds. For better or worse, battle and loss changed people. Like it or not, they were a part of this now and that was all there was to it.

"Darwin's dead, Charles, and we can't even bury him," said Raven, softly. "And Shaw's got Angel on his side now. We can't just sit here and let him continue whatever it is he's planning."

"Which is why you won't," said Erika, making them all look at her. "You want to stay and fight Shaw? Then so be it. We'll take the battle to him."

Charles looked displeased as he walked over to Erika. "Erika, a word, if you please," he said.

He pulled her aside where they spoke quietly.

"You can't seriously be considering this. They're just innocent kids!" hissed Charles.

"No, they _were _innocent kids," she corrected. "All of them are battle-changed adults and they have the right to make their own choices. I don't want this anymore than you do, but we need them. If we're going to defeat Shaw, we need allies." When Charles started to protest, she added, "If it was your sister or nephew that Shaw had taken; what would you do? If it was you or Kurt that had been taken, what would you expect Raven to do, Charles?"

There was more to Erika wanting to fulfill the young mutants' desires than what she was telling Charles. The fact was, Erika felt partially responsible for Armando's death. Though she knew she was not at fault and she was not to blame, the young mutant only came because she and Charles persuaded him to. He'd been her charge, and she'd failed him, just like she'd failed Wanda and Pietro. She would not do that again. If they stood together, they would win. How did that old saying go? "United we stand, divided we fall."

Charles sighed and was quiet for a moment before he finally nodded. Erika knew she was right and he'd finally agreed with her.

Charles faced the young mutants and Moira. "We'll have to train, all of us. Agreed?"

"Yes," they said, in unison.

"But where would we go to train?" asked Hank. "Staying here is out of the question. The facility's compromised."

Erika had to admit, Hank brought up a good point. Where would they go to train? One of the humans' strongest bases had been destroyed and discovered. Where would a safe place for them all be located?

"My family and I have a place, where we can train and we'll be safe," said Charles. "We have our house in Westchester, New York."

_Oh, this ought to be interesting_.

Within a few hours, Erika and the others arrived in Westchester, New York. After their plane landed, they took a car and eventually drove up to Charles's house.

_No, 'house' isn't exactly what I'd call this_, thought Erika, as she stepped out of the car. Charles's 'house' was actually an enormous and beautiful, three-story mansion, complete with a stunning garden. It was far more grand and luxurious than anything Erika had ever known.

Growing up, she and her family had lived in humble dwellings and when the war started, they had lived in even worse poverty than before. They'd lived on the streets or whatever rat hole of shelter they could find. She'd still lived in a bit of poverty when she was raising her children and the nicest home they'd lived in was a two-bedroom cottage.

"This is _yours_?" said Sean, gazing upon the building in amazement.

"It's ours," corrected Charles.

_Unbelievable_. He really had been fortunate in ways she hadn't. "Honestly, Charles, I don't know how you survived, living in such hardship," she teased.

"Well, it vas a hardship softened by my mother and me," said Kurt, laughing as Charles kissed Raven's head.

Erika chuckled.

"Come on, time for the tour," said Raven, as she led everyone inside.

Everyone was given fine, lovely quarters of their own and then the next day, the work began.

XXX

After Erika, Charles and Raven had a long discussion, they decided that everyone would have certain times to train everyday until it came time for the fight against Shaw. Each and every one of the mutants would be given the attention and tutelage needed to help them control their powers. For the time being, they would be focused on individually, based on how much help they needed.

And Alex Summers, or 'Havoc' was right on the very top of the list. He was struggling; the most with his powers and that had to be tended to immediately.

Charles took Alex downstairs after breakfast the next day. Erika had decided to lend her assistance to him as she had experience with Alex's type of power and Raven was helping the others with Hank.

"Charles, what is this place?" asked Erika, as they entered the subbasement.

"My stepfather took the possibility of nuclear war very seriously," explained Charles. "So, he built this bunker down here. I thought we could use it as a practice range of sorts. We'll adjust it later, of course. But for now, I think it'll work for our needs."

"You don't think I'm going to blow through the walls?" asked Alex, surprised.

"My stepfather had this place built to resist a nuclear bomb. I'm sure it can handle you, Alex," said Charles, smiling.

Alex didn't seem convinced as he put the practice dummy in place and went to take his stand. "You know, when I do this, bad stuff tends to happen."

"That's because you can't control it. It controls you," said Charles. "That's why we're here, Alex. It's why we're training."

"Would you prefer some privacy for the first session?" asked Erika, noticing his nervousness.

"If you wouldn't mind…"

"Not at all," said Charles.

Charles and Erika departed from the room, only to return a few moments later when a light went off and they found the entire bunker on fire and the target dummy unharmed. Charles looked aghast, but didn't say much as he quickly put out the fire with the fire extinguishers he kept for emergencies.

"I _will _teach you to control this, Alex," he said, confidently.

From the discouraged look on his face, Alex didn't share in Charles's confidence.

Erika squeezed his shoulder. "Don't let this bring you down, Alex. The battle's not lost yet. With a little patience and perseverance, we'll get past this."

Alex said nothing.

Eventually, Hank was able to fit Alex with a special power suit that would help Alex's abilities. The suit would measure his energy levels, focus his energy and absorb the excess. However, it didn't fix the problem as during one of his training sessions, Alex blew up the two target dummies he wasn't supposed to.

Since Alex's problem reminded her of someone else's, Erika came up with a solution and after consulting with Charles, he agreed and they decided to test her theory during a practice session.

"We've isolated the problem you're having, Alex. It's the same problem my daughter had when her powers manifested," said Erika.

"And that would be what exactly?" asked Alex.

"Simply put, you don't trust yourself. When you don't trust yourself, you start a chain reaction. When you don't trust yourself, you panic. When you panic, you can't focus, and when you can't focus, your powers don't work properly," explained Erika. "Fear affects many a mutant's powers. But we all have the power to overcome that."

"And how do you propose I do that?" asked Alex, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"By giving you something to focus on," said Erika, smirking.

While Hank remained at Alex's side, Erika and Charles stood on either side of the target dummy.

"Alright, Alex, I want you to try and hit the 'x' and I want you to _not _hit me or Erika, there's a good chap," said Charles.

Hank looked terrified, but said nothing.

Alex stared at them, incredulously. "You're serious?"

"Quite," said Charles, seriously.

"We have complete and utter faith in you," said Erika.

With that vote of confidence, Alex took a deep breath, held his shoulders back and then fired a straight and narrow beam of red energy. This time, Alex's attack hit the target and not everything else in the room.

Alex started laughing as Erika and Charles smiled at him as Hank looked quite relieved.

_As always, a little incentive goes a long way_, thought Erika.Wanda's powers had been similar to Alex's, uncontrollable when she was frightened or angry. But like Alex, Wanda had found the trigger and was able to trust herself, thus gaining control over her gift.

XXX

Banshee's training was next on the list.

Erika set up a target for him, an enormous metal frame filled with panes of glass. They had him try and shatter the glass with a minor scream. He succeeded, but they both realized he was having a little trouble focusing his sonic cries.

"What you're doing is incredible. You're hitting a pitch with sound waves that have the same resonant frequency as the glass. That's why it shatters," said Charles. "But your throat's just like any other muscle in the body. You can control it."

"With a little practice, I think your screams could reach a supersonic level, and you'd be able to project them enough so you could fly," said Erika.

Sean looked excited. "Fly? You serious?"

"As a heart attack," said Erika.

Later that week, Hank created a suit that would help Sean to fly. Unfortunately, their first attempt at a test flight fell through quickly, literally. He'd tried to fly by projecting enough scream to a supersonic level and jumping out of a window, only to fall flat on his face.

Deciding it would be best to try another approach, Erika, Hank and Charles took Sean to the top of a satellite dish.

"You truly believe I'll fly this time?" said Sean.

"Unreservedly," said Charles.

"And you seriously expect me to jump off here?" said Sean.

"You'll be fine, Sean. Just scream loudly, catch the right angle and you'll be just fine," said Hank.

"That's what you said last time and all that happened was me getting my face squashed from falling out of the window. I'm going to die!" said Sean, looking terrified.

Charles placed a comforting hand on Sean's shoulder. "It's okay. We're not going—"

"Here, let me help," interrupted Erika. She gave Sean a little push off the satellite dish, sending him straight downward as he yelped.

"Erika!" scolded Charles.

Erika rolled her eyes. The boy was in no immediate danger. If she thought he was, she easily could pull him back by grabbing the metal on his flight suit. She proved to be correct when Sean started screaming powerfully enough to grant himself flight. He was actually cheering as he soared around them through the power of his sonic scream.

Charles gave Erika an exasperated look, and Erika just gave him one back.

"What? You _know _you were thinking the same thing. He just needed a little incentive and I gave it to him," she said.

Charles just shook his head at her before they resumed watching Sean. Erika wasn't put off by Charles. If she had believed Shaw was going to be harmed or anything of the like, she'd have either stopped Sean's descent or not done it at all. Oddly enough, Sean's training session reminded her of when she was helping her son control his gift when it manifested.

Pietro had been like Sean that way. He needed incentive before he would try out his powers. But unlike Sean, who needed fear as an incentive, all Erika had had to do for Pietro was point out he could better protect Wanda if he worked on controlling his power and that had given him the trigger he needed.

Erika found herself smiling as Sean then landed safely and gracefully back on top of the satellite dish with them.

"Ms. Lensherr, you're cool and all, but don't ever do that again, please," said Sean, after he caught his breath.

"I promise you, I won't," assured Erika, as she held up her hands in defeat. "You have my word."

Charles patted Sean on the shoulder. "Excellent work, Banshee, excellent," he said, smiling.

Sean grinned. "Thanks, Professor."

_Banshee's earned his name, that's for certain_.

XXX

Hank's training was more vigorous.

Charles handled his training alone. He got in the habit of doing jogging exercises every morning. So far, Charles was beating Hank in their running races, but he knew Hank could easily defeat him if he'd actually relax a little and stop hiding so much.

While taking a little break from their morning jog, Charles decided to try another tactic.

"Hank, I've got a little quote for you. See if you can tell me what it's from. 'In each of us, two natures are at war,'" said Charles.

"That's from Robert Louis Stevenson's _Jekyll and Hyde_," said Hank.

"Top marks. But Stevenson's story wasn't really about good and evil though, was it, Hank? It was about man's animal nature and his struggle to control it, to conform," said Charles. "And it's that struggle that's holding you back."

Hank shook his head. "No, Jekyll was afraid of what he could be capable of."

"And you are too," said Charles, gently. "But you don't need to be. Trust in yourself and in your abilities, Hank."

Hank sighed. "Alright, Professor, I'll try." He took off his shoes and flexed his ape-like feet for a moment.

"If you want to beat me this time, you need to let the beast free," said Charles. "Ready?"

"Just say when," said Hank.

Charles nodded and prepared for their next race. "On your marks, get set, go!" He started to run, but Hank was clearly faster. He was only one-quarter around the mansion when Hank return, smiling and clearly full of energy and not out of breath like Charles.

Charles just smiled and laughed, feeling quite happy with Hank's success as they shook hands. "Congratulations, my friend. Robert Louis Stevenson would've been proud."

Alex, who just happened to be walking by, patted Hank on the back. "Impressive, Hank. With feet like those, all you need is a red nose and you'll be set. Right, bozo?"

Hank looked hurt and Charles narrowed his eyes in anger.

Unfortunately for Alex, Erika happened to be taking a little walk

"Alex, apologize to Hank. You're doing the dishes tonight, and you're not permitted to join the others for television this evening," said Erika.

Alex looked outraged. "What? But Miss Lensherr—"

"No buts!" interrupted Erika, sounding stern. "Every student is expected to show one another the respect and courtesy that's due to them. No one is an exception to that rule. Until you can learn some manners, you're being punished and that's final. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Miss Lensherr," said Alex, dully. He looked quite annoyed, but he didn't argue further as he turned to Hank. "Sorry, Hank. I was just joking."

Hank just mumbled a reply, and went back into the mansion with him while Erika shook her head disapprovingly. He was young and he was mature in some matters, but when it came to courtesy, he could use a little improvement. When was that boy ever going to learn?

XXX

Raven and Kurt's training, however was different.

Kurt, like any other teleporter, needed to either see or know where he was going, otherwise he could wind up inside a wall or worse, and unlike his father, Kurt could only teleport so far. However, he was extremely agile and quite good with a sword. Knowing a bit about swordplay, Erika offered to help with Kurt's fencing, to which he eagerly agreed and Charles worked on his teleportation abilities with Raven's help.

Erika and Kurt had rigorous fencing sessions where no powers were allowed save for their own skills. Kurt quickly proved to be the better swordsman, especially during one session when Kurt managed to knock her down with his tail, claim her sword with his tail and then hold both blades to her throat in obvious victory.

"Touché," said Erika. But she was smiling as Kurt helped her up and laid down their weapons. "Excellent job."

"I've had an excellent opponent," said Kurt, smiling.

"Thank you. Now, come with me downstairs. Your uncle's got a little test for you."

In the bunker where Charles and Raven were waiting, there were over two dozen targets and a timer of sixty seconds.

"Vhat's all this?" asked Kurt.

"Part of your training," said Charles. He placed a blindfold over Kurt's eyes. "You've seen the area, you know where to go. What you need now, is to find out is how many of those targets you can hit before the timer goes off. That way, we'll know how fast your teleportation skills are."

"Vhat? But I—"

"Shush," interrupted Raven. "Don't even think, Kurt. Just trust in your abilities and teleport." She kissed his cheek. "Make me proud."

Kurt blushed slightly and then teleported when Charles told him to. Within the brief sixty seconds of the timer, he managed to teleport and hit all the targets in record time while doing a series of impressive acrobatic skills, much to everyone's joy.

Raven's training was different.

Having been practicing since she was six, Raven's shape shifting abilities were already at their peak. She could copy anyone, their voices, hair, appearance—anything, except for mutant abilities—at any time within two seconds flat. As long as whoever she was copying was near her own height and weight, she had minimal strain. She was also working on other skills, such as hand-to-hand combat, weaponry and strategizing and becoming quite good at it.

However, Erika was concerned about Raven's desire for a normal appearance, even on the battlefield and decided to test a small theory.

One afternoon while Raven was exercising, Erika silently walked into the room and made the weights Raven was lifting float, starting the shape-shifter.

"My apologies if I startled you. I thought a little test for my theory was in order and you just proved I was correct," said Erika.

"What're you talking about?" asked Raven.

"If you're using half your concentration to look normal, then you're only half paying attention to whatever else you're doing," explained Erika. She dropped the weight, but Raven caught it within a split-second and also shifted to her true blue form. "I mean no offense; I merely intend to point out something that could save your life on the battlefield. Anonymity's a mutant's first line of defense, but you can't live in fear all your life. How can you expect society to accept you, when you can't even accept yourself? When you have accepted yourself, truly and without any doubt, you're ready for whatever else comes your way."

"No offense taken. Thanks for the tip," said Raven. She seemed quite intrigued by Erika's words and Erika knew she'd just blown a spark into a flame.

XXX

A few days later, Erika and Charles were on the mansion's grounds, training. Or at least, they were trying to. Erika was trying to get Charles to shoot her at so she could work on deflecting bullets. So far, Charles didn't seem able to pull the trigger and it was starting to irritate her.

"Charles, I've told you, it's perfectly fine. So, for heaven's sake, just do it!" said Erika, impatiently.

Charles sighed as he pulled the gun away. He looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. I can't shoot anyone at point-blank, let alone someone I care about."

Erika sighed in exasperation as she grabbed his wrist and held the gun in his hand to her forehead. "Oh, come on. You know I can deflect it! _You're _the one who keeps telling me I need to push myself," she protested.

"If you _know_ you can do it, then you're not challenging yourself, are you?" retorted Charles, as he pulled the gun away. "Whatever happened to the woman who was trying to raise a submarine?"

Erika was quiet for a moment as she ran her fingers through her black tresses as she thought back to that night when she'd tried and failed to stop Shaw's submarine from escaping her. She'd wanted to raise it, but the truth was, she didn't possess the strength to accomplish such a feat. She then shook her head. "It's impossible. I can't control something that big. The situation I'd need, the anger…it can't be done." She'd tried countless times to expand her powers over the years, but the fact was, Erika had reached the limit of her abilities.

Charles shook his head. "No, the anger's not enough."

Erika frowned as she folded her arms across her chest. "I think I know what triggers my abilities, Charles." She should know, shouldn't she? They were her abilities and she'd been doing what she did for years. "Besides, it's gotten the job done all this time."

Charles didn't share her feelings on the matter, and shook his head yet again. "No, it's nearly gotten you _killed _all this time. Come here. Let's try something a little more challenging." He took her arm and led her to railing. In the distance, they could see an enormous satellite dish. "See that? Try turning it to face us."

Erika didn't see how she possibly could, especially not at the current range she was at, but there was no harm in trying. If she did somehow manage to move it, she'd prove that anger got the job done and exceed her expectations. If she didn't, she'd just prove Charles's point. Whatever the outcome, she had nothing to lose by fulfilling Charles's request.

She stretched out her hands and tried make the satellite dish move. She felt the familiar surge of anger and power, but try as she might, she could not make the satellite dish move. It refused to budge, no matter how hard she tried, and she finally stopped when the strain tired her out. She hung her head for a moment, feeling ashamed of herself for being weak.

"I can't do it," she murmured.

_If I can't even move that satellite, what hope do I have of raising Shaw's submarine and getting my children back? _When was she ever going to reach her full potential and succeed in what she set out to do before she met Charles?

Charles, however, seemed to disagree with her conclusion.

"Yes, you can. You just need a little help. I believe that true focus for your powers lies somewhere in between rage and serenity," said Charles.

Erika raised her head and gave him a questioning look. Between rage and serenity? What on earth was that supposed to mean?

Charles raised two fingers to his left temple. "Would you mind if I—?"

Erika hesitated. He was asking for permission to enter her mind. Should she let him? What if he learned her secret? But then again, there was no guarantee he'd find out. Not to mention, if he was able to find her true trigger for her abilities, she'd become more powerful than ever and be able to accomplish anything. There was more to gain than to lose in this, so she nodded and then braced herself for whatever Charles intended to do. Suddenly, she inhaled sharply as she was pulled away into memories of years ago.

_Eight-year-old Erika Lensherr was sitting in the dining room with her family. Her father, Jakob, was lighting the menorah and then he sat down with his copy of the Holy Book he refused to replace as it had been in the family for three generations. Even after the war had ended, he retained his soldier-like posture and yet was still a sweet and caring man, devoted to his family and his religion._

_Her little sister, Ruth, helped their mother, Anya, place dinner on the table. Even at the young age of six, Ruth was a beauty with her flowing amber hair, sparkling blue eyes and adorable little smile. She always helped out and was adored by all who knew her._

_When Erika reached out for her, Ruth immediately climbed into her lap and wrapped Erika's arms around her tiny frame. They both giggled a little as Erika gently rocked her while humming their favorite little tune._

_The sight of the two sisters' closeness brought a smile to their mother's face._

"_My precious girls," murmured Anya, as she reached out and stroked Erika's cheek. Anya's touch was delicate and soft and always made Erika feel at peace._

The memory faded and changed.

_A much older Erika was sitting up in a bed in a convent. She was breathing hard and sweating as a nun gently wiped her face with a cool rag and helped her to drink some water. After the nun helped her ease back into the pillows, a midwife carefully placed Erika's newborn twin babies at Erika's side._

"_Congratulations, dear, you have a daughter and a son," she murmured. _

"_Thank you," said Erika, tiredly, as she smiled. She was exhausted and sore; but she was also crying and laughing softly. Everything she'd just gone through, it had all been worth it to see her little ones at last. Her son had a tiny tuft of white hair and blue eyes, and he was making little baby noises. Her daughter had a tuft of dark brown hair, brown eyes and she held Erika's finger in her tiny hand. _

_Erika could not stop smiling and shedding happy tears at the sight of her babies as she held them close to her. They were both so beautiful and absolutely perfect. They were all she'd ever dreamed of and more. _

"_They're beautiful little angels. What will you name them?" asked the nun, smiling softly._

"_Pietro Jakob Lensherr and Wanda Anya Lensherr," said Erika, without hesitation. Her babies would be strong and wonderful, just like her parents had been and Erika would give them a better, happier life than she had known. _

Erika was shaking and breathing hard as she found herself back in reality. She felt a stir of emotions she hadn't felt in so many years and a tear had found its way down her cheek. She had not shed tears in six years. Not since Wanda and Pietro had been taken from her.

"Charles, what did you just do to me?" she whispered.

Charles's eyes were slightly red as he wiped away a tear of his own and leaned on the railing beside her. "I accessed the brightest corners of your memory system," he said, as his voice cracked. "They're very beautiful memories, Erika, thank you."

Erika swallowed painfully as her throat tightened as she thought of what she'd just relived. "I didn't know I even still had those memories," she confessed. With her obsession for the past six years and all she'd suffered, she'd forgotten them. She mentally berated herself. How could she have allowed that to happen? Those memories were precious and should never have been forgotten in the first place.

Charles looked at her with sympathy and something else she didn't recognize. "There's so much more to you than you know," he said, softly. "Not just pain and anger. There's so much goodness, beauty and love in you, I felt it. When you can access all of that, you'll possess a power no one can match, not even me." He squeezed her shoulder. "Come on, let's try again."

Erika nodded before she took a deep breath and faced the satellite dish once again. This time, she focused on what Charles had suggested, the point between rage and serenity. Power surged through her again, but this time it was different in ways she could not begin to explain. She felt stronger, more powerful than ever. There was a loud, metallic sound as she not only turned the satellite dish, but also managed to make herself float several feet in the air.

Finally, when the satellite dish faced her and Charles, she let go of the power and found herself back on the ground. She leaned against the railing as Charles took her hand in his as they both laughed and smiled at her achievement.

"Well done," he said, smiling. "Well done."

"Thank you," she murmured, as she squeezed his hand in gratitude.

It was at that moment that they realized just how close they were and the position they were in. Neither of them spoke, but then they started to move closer, only to jerk back when Moira's voice was heard from the window.

"Hey, the president's about to make his address! You'd better come inside."

Erika cleared her throat. "Indeed. Come on, Charles," as she pulled away and went inside the mansion. Everyone was gathered in the living room, surrounding the television. Erika took a seat in one of the armchairs as the president's image appeared on the television screen.

For days, they'd been monitoring all television and radio news reports. All the reports said the same thing—the world was in the middle of what people were calling, 'The Cuban Missile Crisis.' People were panicking, stocking up on food and having drills should their fears of a nuclear war come to pass. And those at the mansion were the only ones who knew that Shaw was behind it all.

"_It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile crossing the embargo that surrounds Cuba, as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States,_" said the president.

"That's where we'll find Shaw," said Erika, as the president continued.

"How do you know?" asked Moira.

"Two superpowers are facing off, and he wants to start World War Three," explained Charles. "He won't leave anything to chance."

"And neither will we," said Erika, as she rose up. "I suggest you all get a good night's sleep right after dinner, for tomorrow we take the fight to Shaw. You'll need all your strength."

No one argued with her as she left the room. Tomorrow, the long-awaited battle would commence. Tomorrow, humans would know of mutants' existence. Tomorrow, Shaw would finally get what he deserved. Tomorrow, everything would come full circle. Just one day more and Erika's work would finally bear fruit. Just one day more.


	6. Confessions

Confessions

After dinner, Charles went looking for Erika and found her reading in the mansion's library in one of the armchairs. Ever since they'd made the mansion their base of operations, reading in the library had become one of Erika's favorite pastimes besides chess games and working out her frustrations in the mansion's gym.

"I thought I might find you here," he said.

Erika didn't even look up from her book as she turned another page. "And I knew you'd find me in here. So, either we're really getting to know one another or we're slipping up on our stealth skills."

Charles laughed as he sat across from her and then she put her book down.

"You seemed quiet at dinner. Is everything all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Charles. I'll be better once Shaw's dealt with and I get my children back by any means necessary," said Erika.

Charles inwardly winced. He didn't like the way that sounded. Her desire for revenge worried him. Shaw had some form of punishment coming, Charles wasn't arguing that, but he was concerned that if Erika claimed vengeance, she'd be lost to him. He'd seen for himself what she was capable of when she was determined and angry, but hadn't he shown her she was stronger when she focused on the point between rage and serenity?

He must've spaced out, because suddenly, Erika was snapping her fingers in front of his face as if to awaken him. Quickly, he pulled back and said, "I'm sorry, I must've been caught up in what I was thinking. What did you say?"

Erika gave him a look, and shook her head at him. "I said that you're a lucky man, Charles. You've known life in a mansion, surrounded by your loved ones, you're intelligent and wealthy, and fortunate in every way possible."

Before he could stop himself, Charles looked down at his hands. "I wasn't always so lucky," he confessed.

Erika looked surprised, and raised a curious eyebrow, but said nothing, as though she was waiting for Charles to continue. It was one of the things he liked about her. She didn't press for answers about someone's past unless they were willing to talk about it first, and even then, she only went so far.

"You know that I found Raven trying to steal food from my kitchen and I took her in, and all that. But what you don't know is what happened before I found her that night."

"I've been curious about that, yes," she admitted. "If you wish to speak, I'm willing to listen."

Grateful for her words, Charles took a deep breath and began. "Before Raven became part of my family, there was a time when things weren't so wonderful for me. I was gifted, intelligent and wealthy, yes, but not always fortunate. My mother wasn't always there for me when I was growing up and my father passed away when I was a child. Sometime before she died, my mother remarried to a man called Marko. He wasn't exactly all that kind."

He looked up when he felt Erika touch him. She was holding his hand comfortingly and her blue-grey eyes were full of sympathy and understanding. "I'm sorry," she said, sincerely. He knew she was apologizing both for her earlier presumptions and for the pains he'd known.

Charles smiled softly as he squeezed her hand and went on.

"My stepfather had a son, Cain. Cain was my complete opposite—large, muscly, not quite as smart or kind. For a brief time, it seemed as though we were going to make a somewhat nice family, but my stepfather quickly proved to be a workaholic and neglected my mother. He seemed to favor me at times rather than his own flesh-and-blood, and he was harsh on Cain."

"Let me guess, Cain was a bully and was a little creep towards you because of what his father did. Am I correct?" said Erika, frowning in disgust and anger.

"Quite," admitted Charles.

During the brief time Cain had been part of Charles's family, Cain had been anything but kind towards his stepbrother. Despite Charles's many attempts at a brotherly relationship, his efforts had been complete and utterly fruitless; he and Cain had never truly been brothers.

"But in spite of it all, I was never angry towards Cain. I only ever felt pity and forgiving towards him," continued Charles.

Erika's jaw dropped and she looked stunned. "Are you serious? Why?"

"Partly because I'm not quick to anger and I don't hold grudges, but also because of my telepathy. I was just coming into my abilities at the time and I couldn't always control it. I often felt Cain's pain. How could I hate him, knowing what he suffered at the hands of the one person he was supposed to be able to trust most?" murmured Charles. "Eventually, my stepfather wasn't a part of my life any longer and Cain left to journey abroad. I haven't seen or heard from him since. Shortly afterward, I found Raven and things improved."

Charles ceased talking then. Save for Raven, he'd told no one of his past pains. He didn't quite know why he was telling Erika now, but for some reason, he felt he needed to. Whether to help ease some of his own pain by telling her, or help her understand something important, he knew not, only that it was right to tell her.

Erika didn't respond at first. She was quiet and her face was a mixture of sympathy, pity, anger and regret. She leaned over a little and sighed. "I'm sorry about Cain, Charles. You didn't deserve what he put you through," she said, softly. "I'm touched you trusted me enough to tell me this, but if you were trying to teach me to forgive, then I'm sorry, but I don't forgive as easily as you do, I can't."

"Can't or won't?" he asked.

"Both, sometimes, if you must know," said Erika, sounding annoyed. "Why forgive those who've harmed me when I know they have not and will _never_ regret the harm they did to me and those I care about, especially a heartless scoundrel like Shaw? Forgiveness isn't one my strengths. It never has been and it never will be."

"You thought that you'd reached the limit of your abilities, but we proved just the opposite this afternoon," he reminded her. "Listen to me. Forgiveness isn't just for our enemies, it's for ourselves as well. Our compassion, our ability to feel and care and forgive, that's what makes us different from our enemies. You have it within you to be better Shaw. You just have to let it happen."

Erika was quiet for a moment, as if she was contemplating Charles's words. Then she suddenly pulled away from him and rose up from her chair.

"I'm sorry, I need to leave. Please, excuse me."

Without waiting for a reply, she left the room.

Charles's heart ached as he watched Erika leave. He'd thought they'd made some real progress, and now she was starting to shell up again. Her emotions were only to be expected, but she couldn't keep blocking him out like this. He wanted to help her. No, he wanted more than that. He wanted to give her the world if she'd let him.

Why couldn't she see what he saw in her? Why couldn't she see just how much she meant to everyone at the mansion? She was so much more beautiful and cherished than she realized. If only he could help her to see that. He was tempted to go after her right then and there, but then decided against it for the moment.

_I'll leave her alone to collect her thoughts, and talk to her later,_ he decided. That would probably be the wisest course of action for the time being.

XXX

That night, Erika did not sleep well.

She was trapped in a terrible nightmare that kept conflicting between her time at the camps and the day she'd lost her children. There was also a terrible storm raging outside, with thunder booming every five minutes and lightning frequently flashing and was not helping matters in the slightest. It got to the point where she was sweating and shaking and then most of the metal in the room went flying in her sleep.

"Erika. Erika, wake up! Wake up!" said a voice, as someone shook her.

Erika shot up in bed, as she breathed hard, the lights came on and the metal in the room fell to the floor. Charles was sitting on her bed, rubbing her shoulder and looking deeply worried.

"Charles," she said. "What happened? What're you doing in here?" It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for him waking her from her nightmare, but Charles didn't usually just come into her room without permission.

"I wanted to talk to you about something and when I heard you cry out, I came in and found you having a nightmare," said Charles, concerned. "Are you all right?"

Erika nodded. "I'm fine. I'm always fine."

She sounded casual, but they both knew she was lying through her teeth. Normally Erika was a good liar, but in this case, Charles could see right through her, because he wrapped his arms around her, and Erika let him as she trembled and shook from her fear.

"Shh, it's all right," murmured Charles, as he held her. I'm here. It's okay. I'm here."

Erika's only response was to bury her face in Charles's shoulder as her grip on him tightened and she took deep breaths to calm down. It was the first time she'd let a man hold her in eighteen years, the first time in so long that she'd felt safe in someone's arms. She'd never expected to feel that again, but nevertheless she was secretly glad it was Charles that made her feel that way.

There was a good reason as to why she'd been so frightened and it wasn't just her nightmares. Though she didn't want to admit it, Erika was terrified of thunderstorms. She'd never liked them, but it hadn't been a problem until her mother's death. Her mother had died during a storm and thus Erika's fear blossomed. Her nightmares, though they were only to be expected, considering who she was and what she'd endured, they were often very intense and they didn't help matters much.

After a few moments more, Erika and Charles pulled away from each other.

"You alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm sorry," she said, softly.

"For what?" he asked, looking confused.

"For being so weak," she murmured. "I helped the young mutants overcome their fears, and I don't fear for my own life, but something as pathetic as a storm and a nightmare turns me into a weak little mess like this." Truth be told, she was deeply ashamed of what she decreed her "weaknesses" and hated them with a passion. She usually made it a point not to show her weaknesses to people, but it seemed Charles had a way of seeing and knowing everything about her, even without his telepathy.

Charles brushed a lock of Erika's hair out of her face and looked at her sympathetically. "Erika, this is nothing to be ashamed of. As you said, we have the ability to overcome fear. Admitting you have a problem doesn't make you weak; it makes you like everyone else. You're not weak. You're the strongest woman I've ever met."

This brought a small smile to Erika's face. "Thank you, Charles," she said. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well…" He looked hesitant. "Back in Russia, when I read Frost's mind, I learned something concerning Wanda and Pietro, something I wasn't quite sure was true or not. They're both all right, I promise you," he added, when a flicker of fear crossed her face. "It's just I've been trying to find the right way to ask you about what I saw."

Erika tensed. This couldn't be good. Did he know of her deepest, darkest secret? "And what might that be?" she asked, keeping her tone neutral.

"It was something she only saw in your mind that Shaw didn't tell her or anyone else about," said Charles, softly. He sighed. "Erika, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but…Shaw didn't just take your children because of their powers or because they're yours, didn't he? He also took them because he's their biological father, isn't he?"

Erika was quiet for a moment. She considered refusing to answer or staying silent or just ordering Charles to leave the room, but for some reason, she just nodded as she hung her head. "He may have created them, but he was never their father," she said.

That was it. Her secret was finally out. It was ironic. Erika's two children had been her life, but they were fathered by the same monster who'd stolen her life from her. Though, in her mind, Shaw wasn't her children's father in the ways that mattered. No real father would've done what he did to her and her children.

When Erika met Charles's gaze when he lifted her chin, she saw neither judgment nor anger in his blue eyes, only sympathy and perhaps a wanting to know more.

"How did it happen?" he asked, quietly.

Erika hesitated again before giving him a stern look. "This story, and what I've just told you, dies with you," she said. It wasn't a request. She didn't want anyone at the mansion beyond Charles to know of this. The only reason she was even considering telling him was because he'd found out and because he had the right to know.

Charles nodded. "Of course."

Grateful that he was accepting her command, Erika sighed and began telling Charles of her most guarded secret.

"Eighteen years ago, after a week or so of being Shaw's favorite lab rat and worker in the camp, he told me he'd decided he wanted a powerful heir or heiress of his own bloodline. He wanted me to be the mother of his child as I was the most powerful mutant he knew of at the time and there was no telling what kind of mutant our combined genetics would create. I refused at first. But then he said he'd kill my childhood sweetheart and fellow prisoner, Mikael, if I didn't obey him. I had no choice, so I obeyed and before I knew it, I was with child. I was kept away from the others in camp, except for Mikael, who tended to me and kept me company when Shaw wasn't there. We both resided in Shaw's private building and given better supplies than anyone else. Even though the circumstances were terrible, I didn't care about that or that Shaw was my babies' biological father. At the time, I didn't know I was expecting twins, but from the moment I found out I was with child, I loved my offspring with every fiber of my being. How could I not? They were my children.

"All that mattered to me was their well-being. They were innocent and they deserved better than life in the camps, better than a man Shaw in their lives. I was terrified of the kind of life my babies were going to have with Shaw raising them. I wanted to save them from a life with that monster, only I couldn't. I was weak, trapped and even if I could've escaped, where could I have gone? I had nothing except for them and Mikael. Anyway, I was often extremely ill in the time that passed; both due to being with child and with stress and guilt from watching my people suffer from the window in my room while I was practically living in luxury compared to them. Mikael said all kinds of things to make me feel better. He said one day we'd all be freed and then the two of us would finally get a better life than the one we were leading at that time.

"When I was four months along; we finally got lucky one night. Soldiers came and liberated us all. It was a sheer stroke of luck that they found Mikael and I and got us out with the others Jews. One of the soldiers somehow knew about my condition. He told me that I was going to have twins and then he made sure that Mikael and I were taken somewhere safe. With his help, papers were forged making Mikael my husband and the father of my babies. It was fortunate he did that. I mean, really, an unwed fourteen-year-old young Jewish mother at that time? Heaven alone knows what would've happened, what kind of life we'd have been forced to leave if he hadn't done it. Anyway, Mikael and I lived in a village, cut off from the rest of the world. I worked as a seamstress, Mikael worked in the lumberyard as a lumberjack. It was quiet and we were happy.

"Nothing really happened between the two of us. We were close and cared for each other, but it wasn't much. Mikael gave me my space, knowing just how much I needed it after what we'd been through at the camps. Everything was all right for a while, but two months later, our peaceful lives were once again destroyed. Mikael had accidentally aroused some of the more aggressive lumberjacks' anger and they came after us. When that happened, I panicked and lashed out at them with my powers in an effort to protect Mikael and my babies. No one was killed, but the sight of my powers frightened Mikael because I'd never told him of what I could do. He didn't even know mutants existed. Because of this, he became convinced I was a monster, despite my attempts to persuade him otherwise."

Erika paused for a moment as she wiped away the tears had come unbidden and were streaming down her cheeks. Even after so many years of moving forward with her life and burying her past pains with anger, there was still the rare yet not unheard of time when the pain came back. After World War Two, Erika had gained a deep distrust and hatred of humans, and Mikael's actions so long ago had furthered those feelings. She'd cared about him, trusted him, and in return he'd abandoned her.

When Charles squeezed her hand in comfort, she took a deep breath and continued. "I suppose I expected Mikael's reaction. Perhaps that's why I didn't tell him before of what I was. He was human and was even more traumatized than I was from the camps. What else was going to happen when he found out the truth? But I was naïve enough to believe that he'd keep his word and never leave me. When I begged him to stay and said I loved him, he refused to listen. He said he could never love a freak like me and other terrible things about me and my babies. He burned the marriage documents, left me and I was forced to flee from the village. I wandered for miles until, by some miracle, I came to a convent, far from the village's walls. The Sisters took me in. Save for the Mother Superior and two others, they were mutants. Some were outcasts, some weren't. They were kind to me, even after I told them about my past.

"They provided me with care, sanctuary and they helped me when it came time for my babies to be born. They found me a midwife and everything. I lived in the convent with the twins until they were six years old. At that point, they wanted to know what life was like outside of the nunnery, so we immigrated to America and settled down somewhere quiet. It wasn't easy, but I was able to give them a better life than I had known. The twins came into their powers when they were eleven. Pietro could run at incredible speeds, while Wanda's powers were more…'magical,' I guess you could say. I still wanted revenge on Shaw for what he did to me, my children needed me more and I was determined to raise them away from him. Revenge was always in the back of my mind, but I put it away for my children's sake. How could I have done anything less?"

Erika stopped in the telling of her story yet again as memories of a different time crossed her mind once again. The years she'd spent raising Wanda and Pietro had been some of the happiest in her life, but now they seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Did your children know about him, about Shaw?" asked Charles.

Erika nodded. "I told them about him when they started coming into their powers and they started asking why they didn't have a father in their lives. They didn't want anything to do with him after that. They didn't take on his powers or anything else like him. If anything, they were more like me. As the years went on, foolishly I became complacent and I thought that Shaw was never going to find us. He was just a bad memory, nothing more. But that changed when Wanda and Pietro were twelve. One afternoon I came home after running an errand and found the house destroyed and my children were gone. There was a note from Shaw in the rubble. Somehow, he'd found us. His note said that he'd claimed his heir and heiress and he had much in store for them. That's when—"

"That's when you started hunting him down," finished Charles. "And it's when you decided to take your revenge on him for everything he'd done to you."

Erika nodded. She'd cast her desire for revenge aside for the sake of her children. And in doing so, she'd unknowingly become careless and then her children had paid the price for it. Because of her, she'd lost what mattered most to her. On the day she'd lost them, she'd sworn to never be so foolish or reckless again. Losing Wanda and Pietro had helped change her into what she was now. She wiped away her tears with the handkerchief Charles offered her.

"Why didn't you tell me or any of us this before?" he asked.

"Because I believed that if anyone knew, no one would help them or worse, they'd be judged for what he is, instead of who they are," she confessed. Some would've wondered how she could've believed that, but in truth, she had no reason to think otherwise. She'd seen it far too many times—innocent offspring punished for their parents' crimes and judged for things beyond their control. She hadn't wanted to risk it happening to her own children just because a madman like Shaw was their birth father. It was part of the reason she hadn't gone to the authorities when her children were taken in the first place.

Charles's face softened as he pulled her in for a hug, which she returned. For several moments, the two of them remained that way, holding each other close. Erika rested her head on Charles's shoulder, enjoying the feeling she got by being with him and telling him of her past. When he was around, she felt she could be something better than she was.

"No one will find out from me," said Charles, breaking the silence. "Although, this does explain a number of things, such as to why he took them in the first place, but you've got to know that this doesn't change anything. I'm still going to help them, whether they're his or not. They're innocents and they are your children."

"Thank you," she murmured, feeling relieved.

"One more thing," said Charles. "I know you're angry and want revenge, but Erika, killing Shaw won't bring you peace."

"And what's more important, Charles, peace or freedom? If you could only pick one, what would you choose?" she challenged. It was a difficult choice for some, yes. But not for others. Erika herself would pick freedom as peace was proving to be more and more of a lie.

Charles sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know what I want for myself, humans, mutants and for you and your children. I've always known."

"At least one of us does," she murmured. After all that had happened of late, she didn't quite know what she wanted for herself anymore, besides her children's freedom and them being returned to her. And she wouldn't mind if Shaw six feet under, as punishment for his crimes.

"What else is bothering you? Tell me," said Charles, as he rubbed her back.

Erika sighed again. Even when he wasn't reading her mind, he still knew when she wasn't telling him something. "I can't shake the feeling that whether we succeed tomorrow or not, what happened to me will only happen again. Mankind will know about mutants tomorrow and they'll fear us. And for many that fear will turn to hatred. It won't matter if we risk our lives to protect them because they'll never know anything beyond what they see with their own two eyes. They won't differentiate between us and Shaw. All they'll see is what they don't understand and never will." The humans were going to battle their own extinction; of that much she was certain.

"It won't be like that," said Charles, firmly. "This isn't going to be like the Holocaust. Not all of them are like Shaw or Hitler."

"And not all of them are like Moira," she retorted. Charles was right, true enough, but so was she. That was the downside of it all. "My father's own loyalty and sacrifices to his country in World War One didn't prevent what happened to my family. You can say that some people back then were innocent, but my family was taken from me because of men who were 'just following orders,' and my people were almost destroyed because they were just humans who were different, because of a fool's fear and prejudice. Those are the kind of people whom I fight against. The kind of people I won't hesitate to take down if they threaten the people I love."

Erika was mainly referring to Shaw, whom she would have no problems destroying permanently if she needed to, but she also meant others who either shared in Shaw's belief or even Agent Stryker's. The fact was, after seeing the kind of cruelty man was capable of during World War Two, Erika feared it would happen again. She had no desire to allow the camps of 1944 to occur again, and if she had any say in the matter, they wouldn't. If she had to, she'd raise up an army against her enemies.

Charles didn't read her mind, but he still must've guessed her thoughts, because he pulled away and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Listen to me very carefully, my friend, I understand the need to fight in self-defense, but anything more than that, is wrong. We have it within us to be the better people. We can prove to rest of mankind that we're just like everybody else in the world—some of us are good and some of us are evil, just like you told Agent Stryker at the CIA. More importantly, we can show to other mutants that they're not alone," he said, insistently. His tone and face then softened. "By being with you, I feel so much less alone."

Erika sighed again as she pulled away from Charles and walked over to the window as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Take it from me, Charles; sometimes it's better to be alone," she said, softly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"If you're alone, nobody can hurt you," she explained. She felt the familiar burn of tears in her eyes, but this time she forced them back as she refused to cry anymore. She did not shed anymore tears, but she felt the familiar painful ache in her heart, an ache that refused to leave her even after all these years.

Erika had been hurt too many times to count over the years. People hurt her, whether they meant to or not, either by leaving her or causing her pain. Her family had hurt her when they'd died, mankind had hurt her during the war, Shaw had hurt her when he'd destroyed her life and stole her children from her, Mikael had hurt her when he'd abandoned her when she needed him most, the villagers had hurt her when she was forced to defend herself and her babies, and now even Wanda and Pietro had—albeit unwillingly, but still had nevertheless—done just the same. One way or another, people she loved and people that she hated, had hurt her in so many ways. There were times when she wondered if her heart would ever truly be healed from all the pain and betrayal.

Charles lifted her chin and he cupped her face, making her look at him.

"Erika, I would never, _ever_ hurt you," said Charles, seriously.

"And I don't want to hurt you," she admitted. Despite her trust issues, and her previous misgivings, she had to admit that there was no one she trusted or cared for at the mansion more than Charles. He'd done nothing but show her genuine kindness and acceptance, and he was the one who'd sparked a small change in her. If anything happened to him, she'd never forgive herself. She sighed as her eyes started to flutter shut as she and Charles drew in closer. "So, let's just stop this, before…we…" her voice wandered off as she found herself being kissed by Charles, and she was kissing him with an intense passion she'd never known before.

"Why me?" she asked, when they broke apart. She was happy and she loved him, yes, but all things considered, they were hardly an ideal match. They were different in so many ways. He'd grown up in wealth and grandeur; she'd grown up in poverty and war, he felt compassion towards even his enemies because of his power, she felt hatred and anger because of hers, he was whole and she was broken. So, why did he love her, of all women?

"Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers?" said Charles, smiling a little. "There's so much more to you than you realize. You're wonderful in so many ways. I love you, so much, Erika."

Erika smiled. "I love you too, Charles," she said, softly.

Although she had loved before, she'd never really known what it was like to be truly loved by a man she loved until she met Charles. She didn't quite know what to think of it. All she knew was that she would sacrifice herself for Charles if she had to and there was nothing she wouldn't do for him. She loved him.

Charles brushed a lock of her hair out of her face, before he gently kissed her again. He held her close as she rested her head on his chest. For a moment, they just remained in comfortable silence until Erika finally broke it.

"Charles, one way or another, Shaw has to be stopped forever. Last time, I escaped him for twelve years and then he took my children from me when I least expected it. Imprisoning him just won't be enough. We need to find a way to put him down for good." If she was going to move on with her life, Shaw had to be out of the picture completely. She had no qualms about ending him.

"Erika, I know you're worried," said Charles, gently. "But you don't have to be. Hank and I have come up with something that we think will work against him." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. "Once I've frozen Shaw with my mind, place this on him and then it'll immediately put him in a state of suspended animation and he can only break out of it if Hank _and_ I give the code." He placed it into her hand, showing just how much he trusted her.

"Thank you," she said. She quickly locked it in her bedside table drawer for safekeeping. "But what do we do about Wanda and Pietro? How do we break Shaw's control over them?" If she could've just destroyed those devices herself, she would've done so already. Not to mention she wanted them removed safely so her children wouldn't be hurt.

"We're still working on that. But we _will_ get them back," said Charles, as he took her hand in his.

_But you can't promise me that, can you Charles? You can only promise me so much and even then, there's no guarantee of anything. But there's one thing you can do for me._

"Speaking of promises, there's one promise more I need you to make to me," said Erika, seriously. She had to be sure this would happen. This was one promise she was certain he would keep. "I need you to promise me that if it comes down to a choice between saving me or my children, you'll save them instead. Give me your word, Charles."

Charles hesitated and for a moment, he looked like he didn't want to do as Erika asked, but then he finally nodded. "You have my word. I'll save them."

Erika let out a sigh of relief. Charles would keep his word and one way or another; her children would be safe again.

The clock in her room then struck half-past one, reminding them just how late it was. They needed to get some rest. But Erika had no desire to be alone that night, especially not after what had just occurred. The storm was still going on and she didn't want to be away from Charles.

Before she could speak, however, Charles asked, "Would you like me to stay with you tonight?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," said Erika, gratefully.

And with that, they curled up in Erika's bed. Charles held her close, stroking her hair with one hand and she held his free hand tightly in hers. Erika rested her head on his chest and allowed the soothing sound of Charles's heartbeat to lull her into the first good night's sleep she'd had in six years.


	7. Battle of Cuba

Battle of Cuba

The following morning, Erika and the others gathered outside Hank's office. Hank was gone, but there was a note taped to his door that read the following:

**Guys, I've gone to the airbase**

**Please bring the crate marked "X." **

—**Hank.**

Everything seemed fine on the outside. Inside, however, was a completely different story. The lab was complete and utterly destroyed.

"What the heck happened in here?" murmured Sean, looking aghast at the lab.

"Poetic justice, I'd assume," muttered Erika. Raven had told her of Hank's new serum that would give herself, Kurt and Hank a normal appearance, but would not affect their abilities. Kurt and Raven had had a change of heart regarding their differences and they'd decided not to accept it, but Hank clearly hadn't shared their feelings. And judging by the state of his lab, the serum hadn't worked the way he wanted it to.

Charles opened the crate marked as Hank instructed and found uniforms of Hank's design. They were yellow and black and marked with a small 'x.' Alex and Sean's uniforms were the only ones who stood out as they were modified for their powers.

After putting on their uniforms, they headed down to the airbase. The jet was prepared, but there was no sign of their favorite scientist.

Raven looked concerned. "Where's Hank?"

"I'm right here," said Hank. He stepped out of the shadows and everyone gazed at him. He was covered from head to toe in blue fur, his eyes were yellow, he had fangs and he looked more beast-like than ever before. In fact

"Herr McCoy, vhat in heaven's name happened to you?" asked Kurt. His tone was kind, but his yellow eyes were slightly wide with curiosity.

Hank sighed. "My serum didn't attack the cells as I'd hoped. It enhanced them," he said, sadly. "It didn't work."

"Yes, it did, Hank. Don't you see?" said Raven. She wasn't even hiding her true form anymore. "This is who you were meant to be. This is you." She placed her hand on his cheek. "You're beautiful. No more hiding."

"Plus, I hear that blue's very popular these days," joked Kurt, trying to lighten the mood.

Hank looked slightly cheered up as he chuckled.

"I think you've never looked better, Hank," said Erika, honestly. "Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

Hank just nodded. "Thank you."

"Before we go, Charles and I have a few things to say," said Erika.

Charles stepped forward. "Everyone, you've all come a long way and worked hard for this moment. Now is when your training is to be put to the test. Where we're going, there are no second chances. We're fighting to stop Shaw, not just for ourselves, but for all mutants and humans alike, for the good of mankind."

"After today, mankind will know of us and from there on, lines will be drawn. We'll have to decide what our futures will be and where we'll stand. And no matter what happens, no matter what they say or do, we are our own people. No one can take that away from us," said Erika. "United we stand, divided we fall. What'll your choice be?"

Unianmously, they all shouted, "We're with you!" and then boarded the jet.

As they flew, Charles reached over and took Erika's hand. He held a finger to his temple and then Erika nodded, granting him permission into her mind.

_Erika, whatever happens, no matter how bad things get, I love you. Remember that, _said Charles.

_I love you too, Charles_, said Erika.

Whatever happened after today, one thing was for sure—nothing was ever going to be the same again.

XXX

They didn't arrive a moment too soon.

From what they could see from the jet's windows, there were over a dozen ships from different nations, all of them were armed and prepared to fire. One ship was crossing the line and it looked fairly grim out there.

Charles raised his fingers to his temple for a moment before looking concerned. "The crew of the _Aral Sea_'s all dead. Azazel's on that ship on Shaw's orders."

"If Azazel's here, then so is Shaw," said Erika, insistently. She knew Shaw well. He wouldn't have been away from the action.

"Indeed. He's set the ship for the embargo line," said Charles.

"If that ship crosses the line, our ships are going to blow it up and then the war begins," said Moira, worried.

"Unless they're not our boys," said Erika, sharing a knowing glance with Charles.

Charles acted quickly. He made one of the Russian seamen fire a missile at the _Aral Sea_, forcing Azazel to teleport away and preventing the war for a brief moment. However, in order to avoid the missile, Hank had to do a series of terrifying turns that made everyone clutch each other's hands tightly, especially Raven and Kurt's.

"That was inspired, Charles," said Moira.

"But you could warn us next time, Professor," growled Hank.

"Thank you and my apologies," said Charles. He looked frustrated. "But I still can't locate Shaw or Wanda and Pietro."

"Their mind-control devices must be blocking you," said Erika. She let out a frustrated growl. "Shaw's down there! We need to find him and my children, _now!_"

"Herr McCoy, Fraulein McTaggart, is there anything unusual on the radar or scanners? Anything at all?" asked Kurt.

Moira shook her head. "No, there's nothing."

"Then he must be underwater," said Hank. "And obviously, we don't have sonar."

Sean's face lit up. "Yes, we do."

Quickly, Sean, Erika and Charles rose up out of their seats and walked over to the bomb bay doors as Hank opened them.

Charles placed his hand on Sean's throat. "Remember, this is a muscle! You control it!" he yelled, as the wind blew harshly around them. He placed a hand to his temple. "You'll be in here the entire time! Don't be scared!"

Sean nodded.

"Good luck, Banshee!" yelled Erika. "We'll see you soon! On my mark! Three…two…one!"

Sean leapt out of the plane and let out a supersonic scream, granting him brief flight before he dove into the water.

Moments later, Charles looked quite pleased. "Banshee's got a location on Shaw."

Erika felt relieved as she took her place at the bomb bay doors. Now it was her turn to play the game. Everything she'd been working for all came down to this moment.

Charles looked at Erika. "You ready for this?"

"Let's find out," said Erika. _One way or another, this all ends today. _

As Hank leveled the jet and made it hover, the bomb bay doors opened and Erika lowered herself down by clutching the jet's wheels. She then held out her hand and detected the metal of Shaw's submarine, before trying to raise it from the water. Soon, the strain began to tear at her, just as it had before and she started to fear, but then she heard Charles's voice in her mind.

_Remember Erika, the point between rage and serenity. Focus on that._

Erika took a deep breath and focused just as Charles said. Within moments, she felt power flow through her, just as she had when she'd moved the satellite dish. She felt stronger than ever before as she caused the submarine to rise from the water. It felt easy, as though she was just moving a small coin or paperclip. As she made it fly, she felt herself releasing the metal she was clutching and floated in the air as though it were completely natural. She was now at the peak of her abilities. She was Magnetrix.

However, just as she was directing the submarine to dry land as the jet followed her; Riptide emerged from the submarine and sent out a powerful tornado.

"Erika, get over here and take my hand!" yelled Charles.

Erika barely had time to react before the tornado hit her and caused her to crash the submarine onto a beach. Fortunately for her, the wind directed her to the bomb bay doors where she latched onto Charles's hand and he pulled her into the jet, just as it crashed and she protectively covered him with her body. When the jet stilled, everyone slowly moved.

"Anyone who's not dead, say so now," said Raven.

Everyone quickly said they weren't dead. Aside from a few bumps, bruises and slight dizziness, they were all fine, thank heavens.

"Charles, you'd better have news for me," said Erika, as she helped unhook their teammates.

"It's not good news, I'm afraid. I read Azazel's mind. Shaw's drawing all the power out of his sub. He's turning himself into a nuclear bomb," said Charles.

"We've got to act now! The Geiger counter's going out of control!" said Moira.

"Then get on the radio and tell those seamen to get their ships out of here A.S.A.P.," ordered Erika. "I'm going in."

"Not alone, you're not," said Charles, sternly. "Beast, Havoc, Nightcrawler, give her some backup. Raven, if anything comes through that entrance, you'll stop it. Erika, I'll guide you through, but once you reach the void, the area where my telepathy can't reach, I can't help you further until you remove Shaw's block. Then we'd better pray it's not too late to stop him."

"Copy that," said Erika.

She and her teammates walked out onto the beach. Angel brought out wings. Kurt drew his swords from the pack on his back as Azazel held his own blades.

"_En garde, mein vater,_" growled Kurt.

Riptide acted first, trying to create more powerful winds, but Alex quickly blasted him into the submarine, knocking him down. Angel took flight and then Azazel teleported behind them, trying to nail them with his blades, but in the ensuring fight, Kurt grabbed him and the two teleporters whisked away with Hank and Alex, leaving Erika alone.

Erika didn't hesitate, she just ran. Quickly, she yanked off part of the metal side of the submarine. It hit Janos and knocked him out, leaving the pathway clear for her.

_Erika, make for the middle of the submarine. That's the place my mind can't penetrate. We have to assume that's where Shaw is_, said Charles.

_Understood,_ said Erika, as she made her way inside the submarine.

She soon found Wanda and Pietro guarding the nuclear reactor and looking ready for a fight.

"Wanda, Pietro, I don't want to fight you!" said Erika.

Despite her words, she was blasted off her feet by one of Wanda's hex-bolts.

Erika slowly rose up, clutched her aching ribcage as fresh anger, not directed at her children, flowed through her. "But I will if I must!"

She thrust out her hand and metal shot out from the wall. She managed to restrain Wanda before Pietro knocked her off her feet and undid Wanda's bonds. They then stood above her, prepared to strike and possibly end her.

"You were a fool, Mother, thinking you could take us on and stop Father's plans. You and Father trained us well," growled Pietro.

"Shame you chose to fight us. You would've played a great part in Father's glorious plans," said Wanda. She fired another hex bolt, but this time Erika was prepared. She managed to form a magnetic shield that blocked off Wanda's attack.

"If Shaw's so perfect, why does he have you acting as his guard dogs?" demanded Erika, as she faced them. She acted again and this time, she managed to shackle them to the wall and hold them tight so they'd have to listen to her. "Or has he brainwashed you to the point where you actually believe he cares about you?"

"How dare you?" yelled Wanda. "How _dare _you? Father does care about us, more than you ever did, Mother!"

"We were blinded weak fools once, but then he made us see the truth. He's made us stronger, something you could never do!" snarled Pietro.

"If he cares so much, then why was he absent for twelve years in your lives? For heaven's sake, think! He's using you. Why do you think he put those things on your heads? Whatever he's said, is a lie. He just wants to use you! _I _care about you. Was he there when you were born? Did he raise you like I did? I raised you for twelve years! I took care of you. I protected you as best I could. And I still love you because you're my children!"

Erika waved her hand and they were released.

"_Hush now, my babies, sleep like you're rocked by the stream. Sleep and remember, my lullaby. And I'll be with you when you dream. I'll be with you when you dream…_" Strange looks crossed her children's faces, but they didn't move. "Remember when I sang that to you? You'd crawl into bed my bed, saying, 'Mama, we're afraid.' Wanda, Pietro, I'm afraid. I'm afraid of losing you. But I believe that somewhere, somewhere deep down inside, you're in still in there somewhere. And even if I die now, I'll never stop fighting for you. I love you both so much. So go on. Prove me wrong. Destroy me. I won't stop you."

She stepped back and waited for the inevitable.

But as Wanda and Pietro prepared to strike, they suddenly froze in their tracks and then their mind-control devices sparked a little.

Suddenly, Kurt teleported in and grabbed them both before he teleported out just as quickly.

_Charles, what's Kurt doing? _demanded Erika. She hadn't been informed of this, and she was suddenly afraid again for Wanda and Pietro. _Where's he taken them?_

_Calm down. He's going to help them_, assured Charles. _They're going to be fine, I promise you_.

_You had better be right about this, Charles, so help me! _she swore.

But she didn't have time to dwell on that as after she'd disabled the nuclear reactor, the wall behind her opened up, revealing a hidden chamber. It was an eight-sided room with glowing blue light, the walls were completely covered in full-length mirrors, and vanishing into the floor was a nuclear power source. Right in the center of the room, wearing her stolen helmet, was a monster.

"Erika," said Shaw, smiling. "What a pleasant surprise. It's so good to see you again."

_Shaw_. After eighteen years, they were finally facing one another properly. No back-up, nothing standing in their way. It was just the two of them facing each other, mutant vs. mutant, just as it was always meant to be.

"I wish I could say the same," said Erika, coldly. She stepped into the secret room and the door closed behind her, cutting off Charles's telepathic connection to her. "But after almost twenty years, nothing's changed between us. I want you gone for good, you son of a—."

"Ah, ah, language," interrupted Shaw. "I had hoped we could talk to one another a bit more civilly at this point. Aren't you wondering how I knew where to get this helmet or where to find our children when I recruited them?"

Erika was silent. She _had _always wanted to know that information, but never bothered trying to find out.

Shaw, however, being the egotistical pig that he was, just couldn't resist ignoring her silence and explaining anyway. "It was simple enough, really. You see, back in the camps, I injected you with a little bug of my own creation. A nano device was in your system that let me know exactly where you were and what you were doing whenever I wanted to. It's gone now, of course. It self-destructed accidentally I took the children. But it provided me with the information I needed."

Fresh anger surged through Erika. "You _spied _on me?" she said, outraged. "I should end you where you stand."

"But you won't," said Shaw, smirking. "I know you won't. Because I knew all there is to know about you."

"You know nothing!" she yelled. "You never did and you never will."

Shaw paused for a moment and then shrugged. "Perhaps. After all, I don't know why you're acting on the humans' behalf. Why don't you tell me, Erika? Why're you on their side? Why're you fighting for a species that's doomed to extinction, who'll hunt us down simply because we're the better race?"

Erika just punched him in the face and glared at him. "I'd rather die free than live as slave under your rule," she snarled.

Shaw just shook his head. "Who's to say it'll be like that? What'll it take to get you to side with me? An apology, perhaps? Well, I can provide you with an honest one, Erika. I'm sorry for what happened in the camps. I'm sorry I had to take our children away from you. I truly am regretful about our past," said Shaw. He touched her forehead, and his touch sent her flying into one of the mirrors, breaking it and allowing Charles to speak to her.

_Erika! Whatever you're doing, keep doing it_, he said.

_That's what I intend to do, _said Erika, as she faced her tormentor. If she could break the mirrors, she could access the metal behind them and get the helmet off of Shaw's head, allowing Charles to mentally freeze him. She narrowed her eyes slightly as Shaw continued his pathetic speech.

"Erika, you must understand, everything I did, was for you and for our children, I promise you," said Shaw. "You couldn't see what I did, how much potential you all had. So, I did what was necessary. I did it to unlock your power as well as theirs. To make you all embrace it." He lifted her chin before he flung her into another mirror.

Ignoring the stabbing pains and protests of her aching body, Erika slowly rose up. "I'm not the same girl whose life you stole in the camps, Shaw," she said.

Shaw actually looked pleased as he nodded. "No, you're not," he agreed. "You're so much better. You've come a long way from bending gates and moving coins." He smirked. "Pity you couldn't have seen Pietro and Wanda's gifts when they were developing. Pietro could only run fifty miles or so at first and Wanda's hex bolts could barely smash a mirror. Now, Pietro can run death-defying speeds and Wanda can take down even someone like me. I'm so proud of you all."

Erika glared at him as she fumed. Proud? How dare he say that? "You've no right to be," she growled. And with that, she made several of the pipes from behind the mirrors emerge and hit Shaw, causing a barricade between her and her tormentor.

Shaw actually seemed pleased by what she was doing. "And to think, you're just starting to scratch the surface of your abilities," he said, as he pressed forward. He kept coming closer, despite Erika's efforts to keep him away. "Just imagine how much further we could go. How much more powerful our children could be. Together, the three of us could do extraordinary things." He then pinned her to wall with one of the pipes.

Erika struggled, but she couldn't break free. She tried to ignore the way her skin crawled when Shaw placed his hand on her cheek.

"I don't want to hurt you, Erika. I never did," he whispered into her ear. "I only wanted to help you and I still do. I love you."

Erika scoffed as she turned her gaze away from him. "You love me? You don't know the meaning of the word, Shaw." It was just another one of his filthy lies. If he loved her, he never would've done what he had, to her or her children. He knew nothing of love, only his sick and twisted fantasies and tyrannical ways.

"You're wrong," he insisted, as he cupped her face and forced her to look at him. "I do love you. More to the point, this is our time, our age. We are the future of the human race. Just think of it: you and me, being so much more than we already are. We're some of the most powerful mutants in the world, why shouldn't we take command? This world could be ours, and our children would inherit our legacy."

Erika swallowed painfully as she continued working and her voice wavered ever so slightly as she spoke, "Everything you did made me stronger. You made me into the weapon I am today and you're the reason Wanda and Pietro's powers have become what they are, it's true. The only reason I even had Wanda and Pietro was because of you. You're right. We are the future of the human race. I've always known that."

Shaw seemed quite pleased with Erika's response and started to release her, only to freeze when her expression became cold and hard.

"But you killed my mother, you robbed me of _six years_ with _my_ children and you stole my life from me. I'd rather die, than side with you," she growled.

_I'm going to count to three, and then I'm going to move the coin. One…two…three! _Erika glared as she made a thin piece of metal form into a chain, and the chain was pushed through the accursed coin from eighteen years ago before it was wrapped so tightly around Shaw's neck that it nearly choked him. "This started with you and it'll end with you."

There was still fear in Shaw's eyes, but it faded quickly as he smirked, evilly. "Oh, I don't think so," he said. "This has only—"

Suddenly, there was a streak of white that sent Shaw flying just before there was a red blast of energy that hit him square in face, knocking the helmet off his head and causing the metal pinning Erika to the wall, to fall. She fell to her knees and then, just as quickly, Shaw became frozen in place, thanks to Charles's telepathy.

Slightly baffled, Erika spun around to see her children. Shaw's mind-control devices were gone. Her heart leapt, but it sank just as quickly. Wanda and Pietro were finally free and by the looks of things, they were anything but happy. There were tears streaming down Wanda's cheeks and though Pietro didn't share in his sister's tears, there was an equal look of hatred, pain and anger in both their eyes that unsettled Erika greatly.

"Wanda, Pietro, how—?" she asked, but she was interrupted.

"Your words and the help of Azazel's son Kurt gave us our freedom," said Wanda, not taking her eyes off Shaw.

"Forgive us, Mother. We tried to fight him off when he took us, but we weren't strong enough. When we refused to cooperate with him, he forced his hand. He controlled our minds with those devices," said Pietro, looking truly remorseful. "We could see everything happening, but we couldn't stop ourselves from saying those things or doing what we did."

"It's all right," said Erika. She wasn't angry with them. How could she be? Nothing they'd done had been of their own volition and she loved them regardless. They were her children. She was just glad they were free.

"Now, this evil scoundrel will pay for what he's done with his life and will rot forever in the fiery pits of perdition," growled Pietro, looking furious. "Wanda, sister, do the honors. Rid the world of our so-called _father_ forever."

"Gladly, brother," said Wanda. Red surges of power glowed in Wanda's hands as she prepared to deliver to Shaw the fatal blow, only to be stopped by the least-likely person.

"No!" cried Erika. She grabbed her daughter's wrist and came in between her children and Shaw. "Stop! Wanda, don't! Don't kill him!"

The twins stopped and looked at her incredulously.

"Mother, how can you, of all people, ask that of us?" demanded Pietro. "Have you gone insane? He doesn't deserve mercy. He deserves to be punished for what he's done!"

"Mama, think about what he did to you, to us! He stole your life from you, he stole _us _from you, and he—" Wanda was interrupted by Erika.

"I know what he did! I've never once forgotten," interrupted Erika. Her tone then softened. "But killing him won't bring any of us peace." Charles had told her this once before and though she had been unwilling to listen then, she knew now he was right. "Ask yourselves this: do you want to be like him or do you want to be better than him?"

As she waited for what felt like an eternity for their answers, she silently hoped that they would agree to the later. From the moment she'd first learned she was expecting, one of the things she'd wanted most for her children was for them to be nothing like Shaw. Finally, the answer came.

"We don't want to be anything like him," said Wanda, softly, as Pietro shook his hand.

"Then don't be," said Erika. She held up the device Charles had given her that would put Shaw in a state of animated suspension. "Let me put this on him and activate it. He'll never return to our lives again after this. We can be rid of him forever. Will you consent to this?"

Wanda and Pietro exchanged looks and then they nodded.

"Do it," said Wanda.

And with that, Erika strapped the device onto Shaw's wrist and it took effect immediately. He was suspended, forever frozen in time until the time when—if ever—he'd be released.

"Shall we go now, Mother?" asked Pietro.

"Soon. Wait for me in the other room. I want one moment alone with him." There were some things she needed to say.

Wanda and Pietro looked as if they were about to protest, but one stern look from their mother silenced them and sent them out of the room.

Erika approached Shaw. After eighteen years, the insane, dangerous man who'd haunted her dreams, stolen so much from her, was finally imprisoned and dealt with at last. He seemed so pitiful and small now. It made her wonder why she'd been so afraid of him when she was younger.

"I don't know for certain if you can hear me, Shaw, but I hope you can, because I never want you to forget what I have to say," said Erika. "You wanted to be a king that everyone would remember, but after today, you'll just be a part of history that'll be forgotten. But though I should despise you for what you've done, I don't feel those feelings any longer. You mean nothing to me and to my children, and I've only one thing left to say to you." She placed her hand on his face and whispered into his ear, "I forgive you."

And with those words, Erika felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was one she would never bear again. She would always have trust and anger issues, and there were some things that were never going to chance, but she was no longer the same angry woman that had been unable to forgive. The past was finally over and she could move forward with her life.

She twisted metal bonds around Shaw's body, allowing her to levitate him out of the room. She left, only to drop him when she found herself facing her children, who had fresh tears in their eyes.

"Mama," whispered Wanda. "Oh, Mama…"

"My babies," said Erika. "Come here."

Nothing more needed to be said as the three of them embrace and shared a joyful reunion. After six long and painful years, mother and children were back together again.

"Mother, forgive us," whispered Pietro. "Forgive us."

"There's nothing to forgive. It's going be all right, I promise." said Erika. She could not restrain her tears as she embraced them and silently thanked whoever was listening. She felt happy. She had her babies back. They were _back!_ She was never going to let them go again, not ever.

At that point, her adrenaline wore off and Erika pulled away as she nearly collapsed from the amount of pain she felt from her injuries.

"Mother, you're hurt!" said Wanda, alarmed.

"It's nothing I won't recover from," said Erika, as she tried to breathe through the pain. "I'm fine."

But her children could plainly see she wasn't fine. Her ribs were either cracked or broken, her leg was screaming in protest when she tried to put weight on it and her head was pounding as though someone was taking a sledgehammer to it.

Pietro slung her arm over his shoulder and helped her walk while Wanda cleared a way out of the submarine for them by blasting away the rubble and broken machinery. Erika didn't even protest in the slightest. She was too glad to have her offspring back to care.

They didn't leave a moment too soon, for just as they emerged from the fallen submarine, missiles were headed straight for the beach. Missiles shot by the humans who were obviously panicking as a result of what had just occurred there.

Ignoring the pain and acting fast, Erika shakily stood on her own two legs before she thrust out her hands. She managed to stop the missiles just moments before they hit the beach and then she redirected them into the air before she harmlessly destroyed them.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" she yelled, catching everyone's attention before leaning on Pietro again.

She lowered herself and her children down to the ground and murmured instructions to them. She levitated Shaw's form over to Beast, who picked him up. Pietro helped her to lean against Charles, who supported her and then Pietro placed a protective arm around his sister. They all stayed close to one another as Erika spoke.

"My brothers and sisters, we all came here today to decide our futures, but what kind of futures are we going to have, if this fighting continues? Look around you! Shaw promised you a world where mutants would be kings and queens of the world, but all he's done is bring about the potential for a war between humans and mutants that no one will win! Is that the kind of world that we want for our kind and our posterity? Mutants will be known to the world after today, and there will be those who don't like our kind, but the reverse is also true, and there will be just as many people who will accept us for who and what we are," said Erika. While she wouldn't fully trust humans or governments, she was past wanting war or revenge anymore. She'd changed.

"It's true," said Charles. "Most of those people out there, they don't want to harm us. We have it within us to be the better men. Let us prove it to those out there now." He paused for effect and then continued. "We're going to open a haven, a sanctuary of sorts for mutants—a place where they can live in peace amongst their fellow mutants without fear, where they can be taught how to control their gifts and become something greater than themselves."

"What you do after this moment, that's your choice," said Pietro. "No one will decide what path you take hereon. That's your decision."

"But know this, if we must make a stand against our true enemies, then we will, but only when the time comes, not before," said Wanda. "There's always a choice and we've made ours."

"We are who we choose to be and we choose where we stand," said Erika, as she took Charles's hand into hers. "I and those with me are mutant and proud. This is where we stand in the world, as brothers and sisters of mutantkind. This is our choice. What will yours be?"

Silence fell and it quickly became clear that their words had an effect on them all, because Azazel teleported away with Riptide while everyone else, including Angel, joined Erika and Charles's side. Sean, Alex, Raven, Hank and Moira all looked relieved and pleased; Pietro kept an arm around his sister and Wanda's hand was tightly intertwined with Kurt's. One didn't need Charles's telepathy to know that they all stood by Erika's statement. They were mutant and proud.

Erika looked up at Charles, who looked quite proud of her. "Charles, send the humans a message. Tell them what's just happened here, who we are, where we stand and what we believe, and then have Kurt take us home."

"Of course," said Charles.

He sent out a telepathic message to the humans on the warships, before they then all joined hands and Kurt teleported them away from the beach.


	8. New Beginnings

New Beginnings

In the weeks that followed, much occurred for the team.

As predicted, following the battle, mankind learned about mutants. There were a series of mixed reactions from the humans, but it was only to be expected. Whether or not mutants would be fully accepted had yet to be seen, but whatever happened, no mutant would be alone. The first step had been made. No one could say for certain what would happen next.

Before long, those on Shaw's side had either vanished or were in custody. Charles had pulled some strings with the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military division had locked away Shaw forever in a place that no one could retrieve him from. Hank and the others were staying on at the mansion, having finally found the place where they belonged and people to share it with.

Moira had been returned to the CIA with much of her memories erased as while they knew she was a good person, they couldn't risk her ever revealing their location or the rest of their secrets. As promised, Charles was turning the mansion into a school. Officially, it was to be known as a school for 'gifted youngsters.' Unofficially, it was to be a haven and training area for mutants. A newer and better Cerebro was being built, as was an infirmary, a landing pad for their new jet courtesy of Hank, a "Danger Room" was also in the midst of being built so that the students would have somewhere to train and learn to use their powers properly and so much more.

Erika and her children were staying at the mansion for the time being. Pietro and Wanda needed time and a sanctuary in which to recover from their ordeal and Charles's home was the best place for it. Much to Erika's relief, Pietro and Wanda were well-liked among the other mutants, and the two of them were coping well. Charles was quite fond of Wanda and Pietro and the feeling was mutual to the point where they had even started calling him 'Father.'

Erika and her children were quickly making up for lost time, though one wouldn't have thought any time was lost between those three, just by looking at them and seeing the happy family they were. With Shaw out of their lives for good, it seemed like they were finally at peace.

One afternoon, Erika and Charles were taking a stroll around the mansion's gardens together. Erika held Charles's arm and he was covering her hand with his own. It was a beautiful day and the garden was in full bloom, making the serenity and magic of the moment all the more beautiful.

"So, Charles, how many students do you think you'll have, once you finally get the school up and running?" she asked.

"More than you can handle, that's for sure," said Charles. "Did you hear they're calling themselves 'X-Men' now?"

"Yes, I did. It's a fitting name. They're your men, after all," said Erika, smiling. "Professor Xavier."

Charles nearly blushed as he chuckled. "Oh, please, they're not _my_ men. And don't call me 'Professor Xavier' just yet. I may be a professor now, but it makes me feel so old. Next you know, I'll be going bald."

Erika laughed as they walk into the garden gazebo and she sat on the bench beside him. "Charles, for someone so smart, you really are failing to see all you've accomplished."

"I can't take all the credit. I didn't do it alone."

"That may be, but you were the one who blew the spark into a flame," said Erika. "Look around you. Our kind has gained a sanctuary and so many mutants now have a chance few of us had before. I am free of Shaw and have my children back at last. You saved us and you brought back what once was mine." If he had not been there, when she attacked Shaw's yacht, who knows what would've occurred. He'd saved them all in so many ways.

Charles smiled as he squeezed her hand. "It was no trouble. I'm glad I could be of help. Besides, they brought me to you, the most amazing woman I've ever known." A thoughtful look crossed his face. "So, speaking of your children, how're Wanda and Pietro doing?"

"Quite well," said Erika, smiling.. "They're moving past what Shaw did, making friends, learning new things and enjoying life here at the mansion. They've remade their uniforms and are now calling themselves the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver."

"That's excellent news. Although, I must say, I've noticed that Kurt and Wanda seem smitten with one another," said Charles, thoughtfully. "Not quite sure how Pietro's taken to that."

They both chuckled at that.

It was true. Pietro had always been quite protective of Wanda, as he considered himself not just her twin brother, but her bodyguard as well. But there was clearly a spark between Wanda and Kurt. While Kurt hadn't hesitated to help both Wanda and Pietro, he seemed quite taken with Erika's daughter. Kurt and Wanda were often going on walks or sitting in the library, talking and looking quite happy. Erika knew that if anything was going to happen between them, then Pietro wouldn't be able to stop it. However, she also had the feeling Pietro had no true objections to the match, knowing just what kind of person Kurt was.

Erika herself had no objections, as Kurt was a fine and honorable young gentleman and he'd won her approval long ago. She trusted him to take care of her daughter. Though, she might request that any courtship take a year or two as she _had_ just gotten her daughter back.

Charles smiled again and then looked down at their joined hands. "Erika, once Pietro and Wanda are sufficiently recovered from their ordeal, what'll happen with the three of you?"

Erika shrugged. "I don't really know exactly. With all that's occurred of late, we haven't had time to discuss it yet. Why?"

"Well, I was hoping that you would stay here, you and your children," said Charles. "Wanda and Pietro can stay however long they wish, and may even become teachers one day. You could work with me, as Headmistress of the school. I think you'd enjoy it and you'd be brilliant at it."

"Perhaps I would," said Erika. Truthfully, she agreed with him. She was being evasive on purpose. Charles wasn't quite telling her something and she wanted to know what it was. "Perhaps we will. I can't say for certain right now, of course. What's really on your mind?"

Charles took a deep breath and then said, "Normally, I would've asked your father's permission before doing this, but in this case, I asked Pietro and he gave me his full blessing and his permission."

"What're you talking about?" asked Erika, slightly confused. What on earth would he need Pietro's permission and blessing for?

Charles reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small ring box. He opened the ring box to reveal a beautiful engagement ring. The sight of the ring shocked Erika to the core. While she loved him greatly, she had never once dreamed of him proposing.

"Charles," whispered Erika.

Charles knelt down on one knee and held up the ring. "Erika Lensherr, I love you more than life itself. Will you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming my wife?" he asked.

Tears came to Erika's eyes as she kissed him.

"Is that a yes?" asked Charles, when they broke apart.

"Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers?" she teased. "Of course it's a yes. Yes, I will marry you, Charles."

Charles smiled as he slid the ring on Erika's finger before they kissed again. It was the start of a new beginning for them all.

**The End**


End file.
